By Sharon Austin and Joyanne Kelly
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (GIS) – More local products could soon be on the shelves of major retail stores. Minister of energy and business, senator Lisa Cummins, shared that the Barbados Trust Fund Limited and FundAccess, with the support of her ministry, had begun negotiating shelf space in major retailers for local products that meet the standards and requirements, Sharon Austin, report.
“But we’re now going to be having a dedicated drive to make sure that products, once they reach a certain level and they have a certain scale… [will be available] in established stores, to find Barbadian excellence in the supermarkets and wherever we shop, on a normal basis.
“It cannot be that only in farmers’ markets, and only at times at Bridgetown Market you can find these products; that’s not what we’re here to do. We’re here to make sure there’s sustainability, that there is growth, and that people are able to scale and expand their business, and that people are able to see that Barbadians are able to produce excellent quality products that are suitable for anywhere in the world,” senator Cummins stated.
Giving the background to her ministry’s involvement in the marketplace, she explained that the Local Organising Committee had asked about the possibility of working together to present the marketplace, endorsed the initiative, saying its vision is broader and aspects of it could be tweaked at the end, so it could be held next year for various events in Barbados.
The Emerging Entrepreneurs Broad Street Mall Marketplace will continue on Saturday, June 15, 22, and 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is being held between the traffic lights at Republic Bank (Barbados) and those at Royal Bank of Canada, on Broad Street.
Over 100 businesses will showcase their products and services at the marketplace, and they are expected to capitalise on the activity associated with the 2024 International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup. A variety of items will be on sale, including clothing, accessories, food, confectionery, condiments, natural wines, and beverages.
Meanwhile, Joyanne Kelly, reports Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to launch fish waste project.
The potential for transforming fish waste into a valuable resource will be addressed this week during the launch of a project on ‘Capacity Building for the Improved Management and Optimized Utilisation of Fish Waste’, spearheaded by the FAO.
The launch, which will be held at the Barbados Fisheries Division on Princess Alice Highway, at 10:00 a.m., will be addressed by minister of the environment and national beautification, blue and green economy, Adrian Forde.
According to a recent study commissioned by the FAO, current and potential uses of fish waste include fish silage, fish leather and animal feed, thus signalling an increasing level of awareness of the value of the waste.
The FAO has also engaged with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute for animal feeding trials, to determine the safety and comparative growth performance of fish silage-derived feed as compared to imported feed.
The project will include capacity development and strengthening of fishers and farmers’ use of fish silage/feed connectivity for the optimisation and promotion of livestock and other areas of national food security interest.
