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3.66. In 2021, against the background of a debilitating hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, Export Barbados also developed a new export strategy centring around the bioeconomy, the ocean economy, and the design economy. A tiered system for export promotion was introduced; companies are assigned to one of five tiers based on their export values in 2020. As at June 2022, 154 companies had received services from Export Barbados. Services offered by the Barbados Investment Development Corporation (BIDC) include trade advisory services, training, capacity building, rental of industrial estates, and certification. (...)

3.84. As at July 2022, a total of 44 technical regulations were in force, the same number as in November 2014. They relate to food, labelling, health, public safety, and environmental protection. (...)

3.104. Utility prices for consumers and companies are regulated by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC); tariff increases require its approval. Prices regulated by the FTC also include feed-in tariffs for small (below 1 MW) and medium sized (between 1 MW and 10 MW) producers of renewable energy.

Table 3.7. State-owned enterprises, 2022:
(...) Company: National Conservation Commission; Activities: Natural and historic conservation; Annual turnover or budget (BBD million): 68.34; Net profit/(loss) (BBD million): 26.5 (...)

4.2. Agriculture in Barbados faces challenges stemming from being on a small island – resources of land and water are scarce. The country has 43,000 hectares (ha) of land, about three quarters of which is arable. Since the beginning of the new millennium, the amount of agricultural land continues to shrink, in particular after the global financial crisis; the land area devoted to agriculture land declined from 16,000 ha in 2009 to 10,000 ha in 2019. One of the challenges faced by the agricultural sector is water scarcity. Water availability is estimated at 300 cubic metres per citizen, placing it in the 15th position among the world's most water-scarce countries. This hinders agricultural competitiveness and limits the development of its agricultural production.

4.10. (...) The Farmers' Empowerment and Enfranchisement Drive (FEED) programme guarantees a land lease of between 0.25 acres and 5 acres for eligible farmers [10] at an annual rate of BBD 300/acre. The land is leased primarily from government owned lands, and the land lease size is allocated based on the participant's planned production. Irrigation water is also provided at a reduced rate of BBD 0.6/M3 in most cases. The authorities also note that other services, materials, and infrastructure [11] are offered to FEED programme participants at subsidized rates, or free of charge, in order to assist them with the initial start up of their enterprise; these start up kits include clearing and preparation of land and provision of seeds and basic equipment. (...)
[10] The FEED programme seeks to promote the establishment of farmers interested in one of the following 11 activities: (...) fruit tree production/agroforestry (...) hydroponics, aquaponics (...)
[11] Services and materials that may benefit from the FEED programme include (...) seeds (crop production, hydroponics, aquaponics) (...) water pumps and filters (hydroponics, aquaponics) (...)

4.21. The Fisheries Division, under the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, is the competent authority for managing and developing the fisheries sector. The Division is responsible for formulating policies for sectoral development, enforcing the Fisheries Act, 1993, Cap. 391, which is the main law governing the fishing industry, and preserving fisheries resources.

4.22. New Fisheries Management Regulations were being drafted as at July 2022. The authorities indicate that the draft new Regulations aim to address the issues of endangered aquatic animal protection, such as for marine mammals and sea turtles, as well as other trade-related issues and to safeguard the market access of Barbadian fisheries exports.

4.23. Local fisheries are currently open to nationals, with Barbadian citizens or permanent residents having access to the resources. As of end June 2022, there were 1,000 fishing vessels registered with the authorities, about 600 of which were operational. The authorities indicate that the current regulation does not provide effective control measures (e.g. fish licensing) against overfishing; the only means currently available to the authorities is the safety compliance inspection of fishing vessels. The authorities further indicate that the newly drafted regulations will rectify this shortcoming, by introducing activity licensing requirements, when they enter into force. In 2021, the Fisheries Division completed a fish stock assessment as a first step towards policy reform. According to the authorities, technical assistance may be needed for Barbados to continue its effort on fisheries policy reform.

4.24. Pursuant to the Fisheries Act, the Fisheries Division publishes the Fisheries Management Plan (FMP). According to the authorities, the FMP is drafted in close cooperation with other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners, following the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. The current FMP was published in 2020. The authorities note that the FMP is not a legal instrument, but a policy instrument for fishery resource conservation.