Matters pertaining to Barbados’ renewable energy agenda, airlift, a skills shortage, and the conclusion of a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) were among the issues discussed with India’s Minister of State in External Affairs and Textiles, Shri Pabitra Margherita.
During the meeting at Parliament yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, along with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, held wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart.
Mr. Symmonds articulated the view that India was considered a “mover and shaker” in renewable energy and Barbados could benefit from that country’s expertise.
He also stated that Barbados was working towards being fossil fuel free by 2035, but cited concerns about adequate battery storage capabilities.
“We are a country that has dedicated itself towards the renewable energy effort. We intend to be entirely fossil fuel free by 2035. Our major challenge in this regard, has been that we are reliant on battery storage because our main asset is really the solar PV, but obviously that is an intermittent form of energy…
“We need to have batteries so that we can store that energy, and then later on in the day when we’re not getting the benefits of the sun, or if there are hurricanes and you’re just getting three or four days of nothing but rain you can store and still distribute and transmit to different points of the island,” Mr. Symmonds said.
He also stressed the national need for battery storage capabilities against the backdrop of an increased demand for other renewable energy sources, and noted that India was “well positioned” to lend some assistance in this regard.
On this point, Minister Margherita said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was hard at work on renewable energy efforts in his homeland, and was willing to collaborate.
Focusing on the skills shortage, Mr. Symmonds shared that an audit was done to identify the areas of shortfall. In this regard, his Indian counterpart mentioned the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation training programme in a range of disciplines as a possible area of collaboration to address the shortage.
Ms. Mottley stated that the skills shortage was a problem affecting other Caribbean territories and pointed out that the rapidly changing environment necessitated the need for upskilling of people.
The Prime Minister also flagged the need for direct airlift from India and the conclusion of a DTA and Bilateral Investment Treaty with India, which she described as critical.
“Barbados can be your hub to hedge and protect your investment and to be able to control the level of taxation. And we have almost 50 treaties globally, which puts us, therefore, in a competitive position to be able to help. Once India has an aggression to want to invest in the rest of the world, we will become the perfect hub for you,” Ms. Mottley underlined.
The officials also discussed building out Barbados’ pharmaceutical industry which had been established on a limited scale since 1882; setting up an embassy in India; the Bridgetown Initiative; the climate crisis; and geopolitics; among other areas.
Barbados and India established diplomatic ties on November 30, 1966. (PR/GIS)
Caption: Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley (right) greets India’s Minister of State in External Affairs and Textiles, Shri Pabitra Margherita at their courtesy call at Parliament. Also pictured are India’s High Commissioner to Barbados, Shri Subhash Prasad Gupta, (left) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds
