Programme launched to deliver training to farmers

Better managed farms, raised productivity, greater consistency and a higher quality of crops are expected to be the result of a joint partnership between the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA).

Speaking to the media yesterday during the media launch of a farmers’ training programme, Chief Executive Officer of the BAS James Paul said it was the first time that the Holland-based CTA would be joining with a private sector organization in the island in order to deliver training to farmers.

“We have 35 farms that constantly provide produce on a weekly basis to the BAS, some go to Massy, some go into the school meals, some to Sandals properties. We are trying to expand on that because one of the limiting factors in terms of preventing the growth of it, is the fact that farmers have not been able to be consistent in the production of all commodities, right across the sphere as we would have liked. Through the training workshops, we are going to try to achieve consistency of production by addressing the constraining factors on the farm,” he outlined.

Noting that $200,000 had been allocated to the project, which will feature some on the farm training in new technologies, he said the 12 training workshops are scheduled to begin next month and run into December, and will host mainly Barbadian experts as presenters.

“One of the objectives of this particular series of training that we are going to do is that we want to make sure that the farmer feels that the training and knowledge that have been imparted that he can also feel in touch with it,” Paul stressed.

The program specifically targets onions, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, yams and cassavas. (JMB)