Sweet potato production in Barbados is recovering after a 2024 shortage that pushed retail prices to US$7 to US$8 per pound, compared to a typical US$2 level. Growers attribute the improvement to changes in planting practices and crop management.
Ron Hope of Valley Island Farm said targeted interventions helped reverse declining output linked to virus pressure. The shortage followed reduced yields across key producers, including Edgecumbe Plantation and Armag Farms, where disease affected field performance.
Hope said his operation introduced slip treatment and adjusted fertilisation practices. "I dipped my planting material. I just use a little bit of organic soil. Improve my rooting, and improve my tubers," he said, adding that this reduced visible virus symptoms. "I saw a reduction in the virus-looking plants." He also changed fertiliser use. "I started to fertilise differently. I don't use a lot of chemical fertilisers either way, but I used more organic fertiliser basically."
Production increased following these adjustments. "Production would have increased last year, big time, big time, big time," Hope said. He reported yields of around 120,000 pounds per field, or about 25,000 pounds per acre, equivalent to approximately 28 tons per hectare. For the current season, he indicated a target of around 20,000 pounds per acre, or about 22 tons per hectare.
Hope said similar practices are being adopted by other growers, with improved planting material supporting recovery. "Guys came, got different planting material. Edgecumbe had a big, big problem up there. He got it sorted out," he said.
Chief agricultural officer Michael James said the sector continues to manage virus and pest pressure. "I wouldn't say we are in a crisis," he said, noting that disease control remains a focus. He said viruses spread through planting material and insect vectors, highlighting the role of clean inputs. "If most of the viruses spread through planting material as well as by vectors, how do you control this? By using clean planting material. And that's where the tissue culture facility would assist."
The Ministry of Agriculture is also evaluating new varieties from the International Potato Centre to support production. James said yield reductions vary depending on planting material and pest pressure, with potential losses of 10 to 20 per cent.
He said expansion of tissue culture capacity will support the supply of clean planting stock, with growers expected to multiply material on the farm. He also advised adherence to crop management practices. "Make sure that you use proper sanitation practices both in your field as well as post-harvest because that helps with reducing most of the diseases as well as the pests that can harm your crop."
Source: Barbados Today
