The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas can surpass Jamaica’s 11.5 per cent food import reduction during 2016, a senior Bahamas Agricultural & Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) executive said yesterday, adding that the Bahamas is ultimately targeting a 20 per cent reduction.

Dr Godfrey Eneas, addressing the opening of the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources’ 2016 Agri-Business Expo, said 32 crops in which the Bahamas has the capacity to be self-sufficient have been identified.

“We have identified 32 crops with which we have the capacity to be self sufficient in,” he said.  “Jamaica  identified 10, and they were able to reduce the their food import bill by 11.5 per cent.”

Jamaica reported last month that its food import bill declined by 11.5 per cent last year, representing savings $88.7 million over 2014. Dr Eneas said the Bahamas imports roughly $1.1 billion worth of food annually.

“We will surpass Jamaica in the coming year. Our goal is 20 per cent of our food import needs,” said Dr Eneas.

“Last year, BAMSI was able to produce 60,000 onion seedlings per acre at two or three cents per seedling, whereas in the past a farmer in Andros would have to pay $0.15 to $0.20 cents a piece for one seedling.

“That has enabled the farmers to engage their competitiveness, and helped us to produce the volume of onions that we did last year.”

Dr Eneas added that North Andros will emerge as the ‘production centre” of the Bahamas.

“We know that North Andros will emerge as the production centre of the Bahamas. The Cabinet has already approved a new grading and food processing facility because no agricultural system can function without food processing,” he said.