Nation Again Urged to Buy Local

Details

Economy

Wednesday, 30 January 2013 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St. John's - The Ministry of Agriculture will ramp up its buy-local campaign this year to bolster the health and wealth of the nation, Extension Officer Owalabi Elabanjo said.

The high food import bill and the concomitant focus on moving closer to food sovereignty, as well as the perils of processed foods, have been main talking points for ministry officials recently.

Elabanjo said while farmers are rising to the challenge, consumers are not doing likewise.

“People are not buying as we expected, so this year, we will increase awareness to buy local and utilize fresh food,” he said. “It’s good to have production, but if people are not buying in volume, for both consumption and utilization, it’s going to affect the farmers.”

Elabanjo noted the paradox of the seemingly “sophisticated way of eating, like using more frozen foods or eating from the can” when, in fact, consumption of this kind can be detrimental to health.

“We will be sensitizing the public through a campaign to buy local, eat fresh, and to be concerned with their health and our economy,” he said. “We want to let consumers know that once the food is available, they should support the farmers, because when you do this, you support our economy and your own health.”

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On the matter of food production and availability, the extension officer reported that the weather conditions have been favourable for farmers.

“A lot of onions and tomatoes are being planted,” Elabanjo said. “Even now in early January, tomatoes are being harvested, so between now and August there should be no shortage of tomatoes once we continue with this trend and the weather pattern remains the same.”

Crops destined for a bountiful harvest are okra and carrots, as well as cucumbers and sweet peppers, which have been scarce lately. “But we have been overcoming the shortages through backyard gardening,” Elabanjo added.

The Backyard Gardening Initiative has been hailed for its success locally and for being a model for the region, the extension officer noted.

He said the ministry will continue to support backyard gardeners, with the distribution of seeds and technical assistance. This year, added focus will be on the production of herbs and spices.

“Those farmers who are already in the programme, we ask that they continue to grow food and keep on inviting us to visit the backyards to see what is being grown and to see how we can assist them. We also welcome newcomers and advise them to visit current backyards to see what some of the best practices are,” Elabanjo said.

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