Barbados Expands Local Rice Production Through China Partnership

By Admin. Updated 11:22 a.m., Friday, July 10, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

The CARICOM nation of Barbados is preparing to significantly expand its domestic rice production after a successful China-backed pilot project paved the way for commercial cultivation aimed at reducing the island’s dependence on imported food.

Agriculture officials announced that upland rice cultivation at Pine Basin will be expanded from the current two-acre demonstration plot to 10 acres as part of the next phase of the China-Barbados Agricultural Cooperation Programme.

The announcement came during a harvest ceremony marking the successful completion of the third phase of the China-aided upland rice cultivation project, attended by China’s Ambassador to Barbados, Zheng Bingkai, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security Dr Shantal Munro-Knight, Minister of Technical and Vocational Training Sandra V. Husbands, government officials, agricultural representatives and farmers.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), Frederick Inniss, said the expansion represents the beginning of commercial upland rice production in Barbados.

“This initial hectare is the first step in the full-scale commercial development and production of upland rice on the island of Barbados,” Inniss said, as reported by Barbados Today.

He noted that the partnership between the Barbados Government, BADMC and China’s Hunan Longshi Agricultural Group has evolved beyond a technology demonstration into a long-term agricultural collaboration focused on improving food security, increasing technical capacity and introducing modern farming practices.

According to Inniss, demonstration trials confirmed that upland rice can be successfully grown under Barbadian conditions, creating opportunities to produce more grain locally while reducing reliance on imported staples.

The project has also introduced mechanised planting technology capable of seeding three acres in about five hours, reducing labour requirements by more than 80 per cent while increasing operational efficiency by up to eight times. Officials said the upland rice variety is also well suited to Barbados’ climate, relying mainly on rainfall and using between 50 and 70 per cent less irrigation water than conventional flooded rice production.

Beyond rice cultivation, the cooperation programme has provided training for more than 100 farmers, extension officers and agricultural professionals in areas including greenhouse vegetable production, irrigation management, crop nutrition and pest control. Trials have also been conducted on crops such as sweet corn, pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants and Chinese cabbage.

Speaking at the harvest ceremony, Ambassador Zheng described agricultural cooperation as an important pillar of China-Barbados relations and said the successful rice harvest represents a meaningful contribution to the country’s food security, China’s Embassy in Barbados reported.

He reaffirmed China’s commitment to providing continued agricultural technical assistance to Barbados and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across the Caribbean to strengthen their capacity for sustainable agricultural development.

Ministers Munro-Knight and Husbands welcomed the progress made under the partnership, noting that agricultural experts from China’s Hunan Province successfully cultivated upland rice in Barbados for the first time in 2023. 

They said the third successful harvest demonstrates the project’s growing potential and expressed optimism that continued cooperation will help accelerate Barbados’ drive towards greater food self-sufficiency and food security.

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