by PHILLIPPE AIMEY

CAN BARBADOS reduce its million-dollar food import bill? Has the sale of meat slowed down because of the recession; and why aren't more youngsters involved in agriculture?

These are questions that many officials and technocrats struggle to answer, but a farmer, who would only give his name as Brathwaite, believes he has the answers and that they are others out there just like him.

The Greenland, St Andrew man, who manages more than 130 pigs and 72 sheep, rattled off his observations for the bill reduction.

The 68-year-old "Mr Brathwaite" has a passion for farming and, above all else, he wants to see Barbados self-sufficient, which is possible if youngsters return to agriculture and see it as meaningful self-employment.

"I've got three grandchildren who love these animals and they already know the ropes. They all love agriculture, but you never know what will happen when they get older.

"I want to get them into the 4H movement that start back because I honestly feel that if that had never stopped, Barbados would not be in this situation trying to get youngsters to respect agriculture.

"We fighting now to get back where we were 20 years ago. I'd love to see the youngsters pick back up agriculture because it is a business that can't die. People need food to live and it is the most important job in any country, if you ask me," Brathwaite said.

Within recent months there have been several calls by officials in the agricultural sector to get youngsters involved in agriculture. Part of the problem is the stigma attached to the industry by some young people.

Brathwaite recalled when his mother used to chase him out of the field, telling him constantly she wanted "a better life for him".

"When I finished school on evenings my mother used to chase me out the field where she was working and she would always say she want me to learn, get a trade and don't ever grow up doing what she did . . . she just wanted me to get an education, but I loved the ground," he said.

But times have changed, Brathwaite said, agreeing that the structure of agriculture today allowed one to maximise one's earnings and have full control of the products one produced.

For that reason alone, he said he had no tolerance for young people who were convinced that "times hard".

". . . They don't know the first thing about hard times. I remember my mother in the field with a flour bag tie around her waist and my little brother in it. He had not too long born but she could not stay home, had to go out there and breast-feed him in the field.

Now youngsters telling you it hard," Brathwaite said with a frown.

About self-sufficiency and the future of agriculture in Barbados, Brathwaite believes it can be done, but with drastic changes in lifestyle habits by Barbadians, and also a new approach from Government.

"We can feed ourselves, but only if people decide to start back eating properly, the things we should be eating. The green bananas, eddoes, yam, breadfruit and those sort of things.

"We don't import them things, but people nowadays want chicken and chips. So what you going to do? I remember when we used to ship yams and potatoes, but now everything we importing and what is growing here is hardly enough to feed us, far less export to people overseas.

"This is Government lease land and I would love to see Minister [of Agriculture] Benn down here so he could see the work we doing and get it fenced around properly.

"The thieves are the greatest threat because them does pick up your sheep and run with them.

"I also want to talk to him about the good work he doing starting back the 4H Movement in the schools," Brathwaite said.

While others are fearful of losing sales during this time, Brathwaite said the sale of his meat remained about the same.

"Right now it seems to be the same as last year, pretty much on par with how the pigs were selling near Christmas as well.

"One thing about food is that people must eat; so although times hard, people will make the sacrifice to feed their families and have a good Christmas," he said.