Keep local produce competitive, experts say
By Kisean Joseph Kisean.joseph@antiguaobserver.com Agricultural experts warn that any government effort to cut water costs for drought-stricken farmers will only succeed in keeping local produce competitive if those savings are passed on to consumers. The caution comes as policymakers weigh new interventions to help farmers cope with an intensifying dry season driven by El Niño […]
Black News 
By Kisean Joseph
Kisean.joseph@antiguaobserver.com
Agricultural experts warn that any government effort to cut water costs for drought-stricken farmers will only succeed in keeping local produce competitive if those savings are passed on to consumers.
The caution comes as policymakers weigh new interventions to help farmers cope with an intensifying dry season driven by El Niño (a natural climate pattern characterized by the unusual warming of sea surface temperatures). Irrigation specialist and Consultant Bradbury Browne said getting water subsidies right is only half the battle.
“One of the things that I would advocate for is to lobby the government to probably increase the volume of water that they’re giving to farmers, and probably to drive down the cost,” Browne told Observer. “Because that is one of the only ways that the food cost is going to go down.”
The problem, Browne said, is that even with generous concessions on water, duty-free imports, and tax breaks, some farmers continue to charge high prices.
“The cost has to be transferred to the consumer so that the consumer can feel comfortable still buying the product,” he argued.
Without a system to ensure accountability, Browne warned, steep government discounts still may not be enough to stop imports from undercutting homegrown foods on supermarket shelves.
“When they get all these concessions, the price is still high, so it’s not driving down the cost that the government intends,” he said. “They have to have a system, okay. We’re giving you more water at a cheaper rate, but your prices have to go down. Other than that, we’re going to still be paying high prices for commodities that we produce locally.”
