分类： business

Barbados’ leading poultry industry association has publicly acknowledged its surprise at a major local processor’s unannounced move to recruit small-scale poultry producers directly, even as the group reaffirms its commitment to working alongside the firm to boost domestic production and shore up national food security.

The Barbados Egg and Poultry Producers Association (BEPPA) says it stands ready to partner with Amir’s Chicken/Fasons Foods, despite being caught off guard by the company’s weekend launch of an independent outreach and support program for small farmers. BEPPA President Stephen Layne shared that he felt “a little bit shocked” and disappointed that Fasons Foods — a registered member of both BEPPA and the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) — chose to bypass the industry body to roll out the initiative on its own.

Layne was quick to emphasize, however, that there is no bad blood between the association and the processor, and that BEPPA welcomes any effort that lifts the local poultry sector and advances national food security goals. Rumors of Fasons Foods’ direct recruitment campaign had been circulating among BEPPA members for some time, Layne explained, which he initially dismissed until the company officially confirmed the initiative over the weekend.

“I was just a little bit taken aback and surprised about the news breaking,” Layne said in an interview. “As a member of the association, I thought it would have been better if we had that discussion in advance … so we could speak with one voice.” He added that prior consultation would have allowed the association to connect Fasons Foods with small farmers who actually have the capacity to scale up production, noting that many of the producers already approached by Amir’s Chicken are already operating at full capacity with pre-existing committed market access.

Laye made clear that BEPPA has no intention of entering into a public dispute with the processor. “Amir is seeing an opportunity there and he wants to take it,” he said. “We are not in a real conflict here … anything that assists any organisation or company that can support our farmers is of benefit to us as well.”

The BEPPA president has long been a vocal advocate for expanding opportunities for small-scale producers, whom he describes as the unsung backbone of Barbados’ domestic food supply chain. “In the recent past, when the bigger producers have failed, they [smaller farmers] were able to step in and supply the market for some of our larger supermarkets and restaurants,” he noted. Layne pointed out that integrated partnerships between processors and small-to-medium poultry producers — such as the long-running model used by Chickmont Foods Group, which works with growers raising between 5,000 and 10,000 birds — is already a proven, successful structure in Barbados, and he expressed optimism that a similarly fair and structured arrangement can be worked out with Fasons Foods to ensure no small producer is left disadvantaged.

This development comes at a uniquely challenging juncture for Barbados’ poultry sector, which is currently preparing to confront the severe impacts of seasonal extreme weather. In response to heat-related concerns raised by Amir’s Chicken, Layne confirmed that BEPPA is already rolling out targeted technical support for producers across the island. To combat dangerous heat stress that drives up bird mortality, the association has partnered with a local paint manufacturer to apply specialized heat-reflective coatings to poultry house roofs. BEPPA is also collaborating with major feed suppliers, including Pinnacle Feeds — a subsidiary of Roberts Manufacturing — to host free educational seminars for small farmers focused on managing avian disease, securing reliable potable water supplies, and protecting profitability amid global feed price inflation.

Looking forward, Layne has called for formal, structured talks with Fasons Foods leadership to build a collaborative framework and guide orderly market expansion that benefits all stakeholders. “I believe there is still room for us to have that conversation,” he said. “I remain optimistic that we can proceed along those lines … and put the island in a position where we have security of poultry meat as well as eggs.”

The Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) has also welcomed Fasons Foods’ new initiative, with chief executive James Paul noting that contract farming models are not a new development in Barbados’ agricultural sector. Paul pointed out that long-established major processors including Star Poultry and Gale’s Agro Products have relied on similar small-farmer contract models for decades, and current operators like Maroon Poultry continue to use the framework today.

“What we are seeing is growth in the number of processors who want to use this model,” Paul said. “That is a good thing for the sector, and we would encourage smaller farmers to get on board.”

Paul offered a candid, balanced assessment of the inherent dynamics of contract farming, noting that power imbalances can sometimes emerge between independent small growers and large processing companies. He highlighted the persistent logistical and marketing barriers that hold back many small-scale poultry farmers, particularly those operating flocks between 1,000 and 15,000 birds, who rarely have access to established, reliable distribution networks.

“The challenge is that when those birds are ready, there must be somebody there to take them,” Paul explained. “Certainly, somebody like Fasons Foods who is prepared to provide that service for farmers in terms of marketing the birds — that is good.” He added that transparent, fair final pricing, especially the farm-gate rate guaranteed to participating growers, will be the most critical factor in determining the long-term success of these partnership models.

Paul noted that Fasons Foods’ move could help ease ongoing anxiety within Barbados’ small farming community, where recent expansion of large-scale commercial chicken operations had sparked fears that independent small producers would be squeezed out of the market. When multiple major processors including Fasons Foods and Chickmont Foods commit to purchasing birds from small-scale producers, it creates a critical safety net that allows farmers who have invested in their own production infrastructure to maintain stable, consistent output, he said.

“With the expansion and growth in the industry that we are likely to see, you would expect that growth is facilitated by processors … giving opportunities for small farmers who have invested in these chicken pens,” Paul added.

At the BMA’s annual State of the Industry conference, Barbados’ Minister of Industry Senator Jonathan Reid has issued a stark call to action, urging the small island nation to capitalize on a rapidly closing window of opportunity to reorient its economy away from dependence on imported technologies and toward building homegrown, globally competitive digital and AI-powered solutions.

Opening his address, Reid drew a clear line between his appearance at the conference and typical political events, noting he was eager to engage directly with the business community of practitioners who turn abstract ideas into tangible, on-the-ground results. Too often, he observed, policy discussions remain disconnected from real-world execution, but the conference attendees represented a network committed to bridging that gap between concept and impact. “We are standing at a unique historical juncture,” Reid told the audience. “More than ever before, we need to focus on turning bold ideas into market-ready products and solutions tailored to the demands of the new global economy.”

Reid pushed back against the long-held narrative that small island developing states are inherently constrained by their size, limited domestic populations, and small market footprints — limitations that have long shaped regional economic planning. The explosive growth of accessible digital tools and artificial intelligence, he argued, has fundamentally leveled the global playing field for small nations in a way never seen before.

“For the first time in human history, the most advanced technologies ever developed are literally in the pockets of nearly every one of our citizens,” Reid said, pointing to widely accessible generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Claude as examples of this new accessibility. “Generative AI puts a rocket ship of innovation in the hands of anyone with a smartphone. It lets small nations build solutions at a scale, speed, and quality that were unimaginable just a decade ago.”

Reid contrasted this current era of digital democratization with past industrial revolutions, where cutting-edge technologies such as aviation and mass manufacturing were out of reach for small territories, leaving them trapped in the role of passive technology consumers that could only produce lower-quality imitations of products developed in larger, wealthier nations. Today, that dynamic has been completely upended.

“A young innovator growing up in Grazettes or Crab Hill now has the exact same access to these transformative tools as a young creator in Singapore, San Francisco, or Toronto,” Reid noted. “That level of equal access is unprecedented for our country, and it changes everything.”

While Reid expressed deep optimism about the transformative potential of AI and digital innovation for Barbados, he did not shy away from his central concern: that the accelerating pace of global technological advancement means the window for Barbados to claim its place as an innovator is closing quickly. If the nation delays strategic action, he warned, the gap between Barbados and early-adopting countries will widen, making catch-up nearly impossible.

To capture this opportunity, Reid called for a fundamental rethink of Barbados’ core economic philosophy. Traditional economic frameworks are built around managing scarcity, but modern digital technology has created a new reality defined by abundant information and capability. Navigating this new landscape, he argued, requires deliberate, strategic decision-making tailored to Barbados’ unique context, rather than relying on outdated economic models.

Drawing on the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Romer’s theory of endogenous growth, Reid urged Barbados to leverage its own distinct domestic assets to carve out a role in global markets, rather than merely reacting to external economic shocks. He also referenced venture capitalist Mark Andreessen’s post-pandemic manifesto *It’s Time to Build*, warning against a complacent “warehousing” mentality that prioritizes replicating existing foreign technologies over nurturing original, homegrown innovation.

Reid highlighted several pressing domestic challenges — including rising rates of non-communicable diseases, the urgent need for climate resilience, and improving small-scale local mobility — as untapped opportunities to develop scalable solutions that can be exported globally. He pointed to early progress already underway: Barbadian food manufacturers are already advancing cutting-edge work in food science and nutrition, while local logistics firms are innovating new approaches to supply chain optimization amid ongoing global disruptions.

Reid emphasized that Barbados’ longstanding commitment to people-centered development puts the nation in a unique position to lead responsible AI experimentation. “Our approach to AI will always be rooted in advancing quality of life for our people, and that model can be a lesson for the rest of the world,” he said. “There is no reason for our productive or industrial sectors to fear this transformation. The government will walk alongside every stakeholder to make this transition smooth.”

The minister also announced a shift in how his government department will engage with the private sector: moving beyond a purely regulatory role to become an active, value-creating partner for innovators and builders. “Our goal is to become creators of the new,” Reid said. “Being a small nation does not bar us from building world-class technologies and sharing them with the globe. It simply means we have to be strategic, focused, and urgent in how we pursue this transformation.”

Against a backdrop of persistent global economic headwinds, Barbados’ manufacturing industry is emerging as a core engine of national resilience, creative innovation and economic diversification, according to Rakesh Bernard, president of the Barbados Manufacturers Association (BMA). Bernard made the remarks Monday during the opening ceremony of the annual Manufacturers’ Week, where he positioned domestic manufacturing as a cornerstone of the island nation’s long-term economic future and officially kicked off preparations for a landmark international trade initiative set for 2027.

The high-profile opening event drew a roster of top government and trade stakeholders, including Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Jonathan Reid, and Mark Hill, CEO of Export Barbados. In his keynote address to the assembled group, Bernard underscored that local manufacturing delivers far-reaching, irreplaceable value to Barbados’ national economy and social fabric.

“This occasion is far more than just another entry on the national business calendar,” Bernard told attendees. “It is a celebration of an industry that remains the backbone of Barbados’ economic resilience, innovative capacity, and sustained growth. Manufacturing matters because every good made right here on our island is a testament to Barbadian ingenuity: it creates stable local jobs, nurtures critical industry skills, draws new domestic and foreign investment, and sharpens our global competitive edge.”

Bernard did not shy away from acknowledging the widespread challenges currently buffeting businesses across the globe, from persistent economic uncertainty to soaring operational costs and ongoing supply chain disruptions. But he emphasized that Barbados’ domestic manufacturing operators have demonstrated extraordinary grit and adaptability in the face of these pressures.

“Even amid widespread global uncertainty, rising input costs, and broken supply chains, Barbados’ manufacturers have kept pushing forward: innovating, adapting their operations, and contributing meaningfully to ongoing national development,” he said. He framed the week-long Manufacturers’ Week series as both a celebration of the sector’s achievements and a clear statement that Barbados is fully committed to expanding its domestic productive capacity for long-term growth.

A core focus of Bernard’s address was the critical need for aligned cooperation between the public and private sectors to drive sector-wide growth. He pointed out that the key modernization priorities shaping Barbados’ manufacturing industry today—including digital transformation, strengthened national food security, expanded renewable energy adoption, and broader sustainable business practices—align directly with the Mia Mottley administration’s overarching national economic goals.

“Meaningful national transformation can only happen when policy and production, investment and innovation, government and industry all move in the same direction,” Bernard explained. “The work underway across our manufacturing sector today aligns perfectly with the vision laid out in Mission Barbados, which seeks to build a smarter, greener, more economically resilient and inclusive national economy. Manufacturers sit at the heart of this mission because we turn ideas into tangible solutions, transform concepts into market-ready products, and create widespread economic opportunity for Barbadians across the country.”

During the event, attendees had the chance to explore industry exhibits including a showcase from leading local operator Roberts Manufacturing at the BMA’s annual State of the Industry Conference. It was on this same platform that Bernard formally launched the multi-year planning process for the 2027 Trade and Innovation Expo (TI 2027). Acknowledging members of the international diplomatic corps in attendance, Bernard positioned the upcoming expo as a transformative step forward for regional and international business collaboration centered on Barbados.

“TI 2027 will be far more than a traditional product exhibition,” Bernard noted. “It will be a dynamic, forward-looking platform for cross-border trade, new investment partnerships, technology sharing, and expanded collaboration between regional and international business stakeholders.” He extended an open invitation to global business and government partners to begin building stronger connections in entrepreneurship and technology ahead of the 2027 showcase.

Closing his address, Bernard issued a rallying cry for accelerated economic diversification across Barbados, urging all national stakeholders to look beyond the nation’s traditional economic pillars and offer robust support to homegrown domestic enterprise. “Barbados’ future cannot be tied to a single industry alone,” he declared. “It must be built on a foundation of diversification, innovation, domestic production, and strategic global engagement. Manufacturing has a non-negotiable, critical role to play in that future. And the time is now to invest boldly in local industry, local talent, and local innovation.”