By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A Cabinet minister yesterday admitted that slashing The Bahamas food import bill by 25 percent come 2025 is “an ambitious aspiration” but one that the country must strive for given its present challenges.
Clay Sweeting, minister of agriculture, marine resources and Family Island affairs, told the Exuma Business Outlook conference that the COVID-19 pandemic - coupled with “skyrocketing” inflation and the fall-out from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - had shown “the urgent need to strengthen our domestic food supply”.
Seeking to achieve this by attracting a crop of new, younger farmers to agriculture, he said: “We seek to cut our imports by 25 percent by 2025 – that’s just two [sic three] years. The goal is to achieve this by drastically increasing productivity. We are hoping that the incentives given to fishermen, farmers and agribusiness practitioners will dramatically amplify resilient food production in our country.
“We can, and we must, produce more. It is simply an ambitious aspiration that we must continuously strive towards. This can offer a boost of income and a pathway out of poverty for many, and make our nation more prosperous. We must take bold and swift steps to solve this problem today if we want a better tomorrow. The wheels are turning to progress. Now we know that we have a long road to go, but we will continue to persevere and drive change towards food security.”
A 25 percent reduction in The Bahamas’ $1bn food import bill would imply a savings of $250m, which would be a huge sum to realise in just two to three years given the current level of domestic agriculture output. Many observers will likely argue that such a target is more than “ambitious”, and the Davis administration has yet to set out a road map, with deliverables and deadlines that can be measured, specifying exactly how this can be achieved.
Mr Sweeting, though, argued that current circumstances made it necessary for The Bahamas to set lofty goals. “Over the last few years, The Bahamas has seen many disruptions to our economy. We’ve weathered the effects of a devastating hurricane, joined the rest of the world in enduring a global pandemic and, most recently, witnessed the volatile effects of growing inflation inextricably linked to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
“All of these unfortunate series of events have affected what and how much we eat. These calamities have caused Bahamians to work harder to feed their families. The hard truth is that many Bahamians are suffering financially and are unable to enjoy this basic human right because of skyrocketing food prices.
“This inflation crisis, which is not unique to The Bahamas, has a devastating impact on our society as it diminishes the quality of life for many. We also recognise that we continue to grapple with an unsustainable food import bill that is pegged at $1bn.”
Unveiling some of the initiatives designed to cut into this figure, Mr Sweeting added: “The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) has embarked on a greenhouse project that will engage Family Island farmers and provide training in greenhouse technology to increase crop yields year-round.
“BAMSI is looking to invest $7m in these greenhouse parks with the hope of cutting vegetable imports down by 30 percent. Vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, cabbage and lettuce are among the products targeted through this project. BAMSI is looking to place these greenhouses in Exuma, Eleuthera, Cat Island and North Andros.
“Further, the Institute is seeking to encourage fish farming to expand our opportunities. Through BAMSI, the ministry will also conduct studies to train farmers on the best practices for poultry farming. We continue to place a special emphasis on poultry farming. This is not a new opportunity, but it’s one that is an ambitious strategy towards the goal of food security.
“At present, we only produce about 5 percent of the chicken we consume. Meanwhile, we spend $30m annually to import it. So we are endeavouring to create an environment where we can grow the poultry sector and make the transition from emerging to commercial farms where Bahamians would be able to purchase locally-produced chicken and eggs for cheaper prices. The potential and opportunities in this industry are truly endless.”
Mr Sweeting also pledged that the Government will construct “two state-of-the-art slaughter houses - one in New Providence and another in Eleuthera”. And the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) was presently assessing whether to construct a new feed mill “which will help enhance the product offering to farmers throughout the entire country”.
The minister added: “Fisheries continue to thrive in our country. Our waters have been good to us, and fishermen this year are reporting a 30 percent increase in their catch in crawfish. We have expanded duty-free concessions for fishermen and have made it easier to apply for their necessary licenses through a digitalised application process through MyGateway.
“We continue to encourage fishermen to explore more compelling opportunities and investments such as stone crab, which can also be a lucrative market. Simultaneously, the Department of Marine Resources continues to work towards a conch management plan to ensure that we protect what we now enjoy.”
Commenting has been disabled for this item.