Farmers seeking government support could soon face tougher accountability requirements, as Agriculture Minister Dr Shantal Munro-Knight moves to reshape the relationship between the State and the farming community by tying public investment to performance.

Her announcement received immediate backing from the chief executive of the country’s oldest farming organisation, the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS).

Outlining one of the central pillars of her vision for farming during a breakfast colloquium hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security on Monday, Dr Munro-Knight made clear that while the government would continue investing in agriculture, it could no longer afford a system in which land, equipment and other publicly funded resources failed to translate into production.