THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (RDC) has disbursed more than $9 million in loans to small enterprises to date.

The figure, logged at the end of March, represents a major improvement on the $8.1 million lent between 1997 and last December.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Haynesley Benn, gave the latest loan figure on Saturday at the official launch of the RDC's 12th Rural Enterprise Showcase on the grounds of Hilda Skeene Primary School in St Philip.

He said 174 loans worth $1.5 million went to vegetable production, about 260 loans totalling $2.2 million went to livestock production; and 64 loans worth near $1 million went to fishing.

The retailing industry received 192 loans totalling about $1.25 million, with undisclosed sums to landscaping, auto body repairs, graphic designs, publishing services, construction and other areas, he added.

Benn officially opened what was described as the largest RDC showcase to date, with 175 entrepreneurs exhibiting leather craft, ceramics, jewellery, fruit and vegetables, potted plants and agro-processing.

RDC chairman Michael Power called the showcase "a practical example of how agriculture and the other sectors can work together to contribute towards our food security, reduce the outflow of foreign exchange and generate self-employment at the level of the rural community".

He called on Barbadians to help reduce the island's food import bill by returning to backyard farming and using more local foods.

And, he said the RDC would do its part under rabbit-rearing, backyard farming and other projects.

The RDC chairman also urged small businesspersons to learn a second language.

"Fluency in a foreign language gives the businessperson a distinct advantage in the market place . . . ," he remarked.

The RDC is teaming with the Small Business Association to introduce a course in intermediate Spanish. (TY)