The Tribune

THE launch of the Ministry of Agriculture’s “Golden Yolk” initiative was hailed yesterday by Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis as “one of the first steps in a marathon toward a more resilient, self-reliant Bahamas”.

The $15m project aims to increase local egg production.

Mr Davis said the nation imports too much food — 90 percent — adding that despite past administrations lamenting the issue, the number has not decreased.

“My friends, that all changes now. Today, I declare that figure destined to fall faster than the walls of Jericho,” he said at the project’s groundbreaking at the Gladstone Road Agricultural Centre yesterday.

“We are ushering in a new age of agriculture. An age of promise and prosperity, an age where we make the most of what we have, in the most sustainable manner possible. This is especially important for low and middle-income families, who are disproportionately affected by ballooning inflation on imported foodstuffs.”

He said his administration has made headway in the race for greater food security.

The government is allocating $500,000 in grants to farmers and an additional $1m in funding to secure broilers and to support livestock farming, he said.

“The Golden Yolk project builds on this commitment to ramping up local food production. Indeed, it goes hand in hand with our pledge to ensure every Bahamian has sufficient access to affordable and nutritious food,” he said.

“With a vision to slash our import bill by $12.5m and secure 100 percent local egg production, the Golden Yolk project is an urgent and crucial undertaking – one that promises to move the needle toward greater food security for our country.”

He said the project’s three-phase implementation will create about 90 jobs, over half of which will be based in the Family Islands.

The initiative falls under the purview of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation. Thirty-eight poultry houses are slated for construction across 12 Family Islands, with a further eight earmarked for New Providence. These sites will increase local egg production 30-fold, injecting an additional $2.3m into the domestic economy, Mr Davis said. They will also employ numerous grow house workers, all of whom will be guaranteed a liveable wage, he added.

On Sunday, Clay Sweeting, minister of agriculture, marine resources and Family Island Affairs, revealed to Tribune Business that the initiative is aiming to take domestic Bahamian egg production from 700,000 per year to 28m when complete and fully operational.