On 20th February 2023, India’s High Commissioner to Barbados, Dr. Shankar Balachandran met with Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Simone Rudder, with a gift during a courtesy call at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
During the meeting, Barbados expressed interest in enhancing its relations with India on a south-south cooperation basis.
Ms. Rudder thanked the Government of India for helping with COVID-19 vaccines and emphasized that Barbados wanted to strengthen its Global-South ties before the pandemic and even more so after the pandemic so that the two countries could cooperate and advance in areas of mutual benefit.
Mutual Relationship
For years, India and Barbados have shared a cordial relationship, which is built upon a strong foundation of shared democratic values and cooperation in various fields. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1966, the year Barbados gained independence from the British Empire. Since then, India has been a key partner in Barbados’ development through various aid and capacity-building programs.
India has become a significant trading partner for Barbados as their relationship has grown stronger in recent years. Barbados imports products like molasses and rum from India while India imports pharmaceuticals, textiles, and machinery from Barbados.
Additionally, India has been offering Barbados technical support and training courses, particularly in the fields of agriculture, renewable energy, and information technology. The Indian government has also provided scholarships for Barbadian students to study there, fostering even closer ties between the two countries’ populations.
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The food relationship
India has also stressed it is willing to share its superfood millet with Barbados, which has the right climate setting for its growth in Barbados.
India has frequently in the past given food aid to Barbados. For instance, as part of a food aid program to support Barbados’ efforts to address food security concerns, India gave the island nation 97 metric tonnes of rice in 2017. In 2013, India also gave Barbados 250 metric tonnes of wheat to help the island nation meet its food needs.
India has assisted Barbados with food aid as well as a number of agricultural development initiatives. To increase the caliber and output of Barbados’ agricultural output, the Indian government funded a project in 2011 to establish a tissue culture laboratory there.
Millet is not a native crop to the area, it is not typically grown in Barbados. The agriculture industry in the nation primarily focuses on crops like sugarcane, vegetables, and fruits because they are more suited to the soil and climate of the nation.
To meet its domestic demand, Barbados also imports a sizeable amount of food, including grains like rice and wheat. And so, India has offered Barbados Millet.
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Barbados and India’s relationship offers a brave chance to forge closer ties between two countries that share similar values and objectives. The two nations have a lot to offer one another in terms of trade, investment, and aid and development initiatives. The Barbados-India relationship is a shining example of how two nations can cooperate for mutual gain and advance the larger objective of international understanding and cooperation as the world becomes more interconnected.
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