The Tribune

BY FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribuneemedia.net

THE DAVIS administration is putting up to $13m behind a new push to turn Bahamian agriculture into a more predictable, commercially driven industry, with farmers to be matched to market demand and supported by new production, storage and transportation infrastructure.

Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Jomo Campbell said the initiative marks “another important step” in the mission to strengthen Bahamian agriculture and advance national food security.

“This framework is set to help farmers align production with real market demand, reduce seasonal surpluses and shortages, while creating more consistent opportunity for Bahamian produce to reach wholesalers, retailers, hotels, and local consumers,” said Mr Campbell.

The three-year initial startup phase outlined in the National Crop Scheduling Roadmap 2025-2030 carries estimated capital costs of $6.45m to $10.4m, while operating costs are projected at another $1.95m to $2.75m.

The programme is being rolled out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources alongside the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC), the Department of Agriculture and BAMSI, with technical teams engaging farmers across Abaco, North Andros, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera and Cat Island.

The roadmap's capital spending includes $2.5m to $4m for protected agriculture systems, covering approximately 20 acres of shade houses and 10 acres of mid-tech greenhouses across priority islands for off-season production and climate resilience.

Another $1m to $1.5m is earmarked for drip irrigation covering approximately 750 acres, while $1.5m to $2.5m is projected for the upgrade of three to four existing packing houses into agro-logistics centres.

The plan also includes $750,000 to $1.25m for a farm machinery pool, with tractors, spaders, planters and other equipment to be managed as a service to improve farm preparation and production efficiency while reducing individual farmers' capital outlay.

A further $250,000 to $400,000 is projected for onion curing facilities, while $300,000 to $500,000 is earmarked as seed funding for a lease-to-own programme involving 10 to 15 refrigerated containers to establish inter-island cold-chain logistics.

The roadmap also provides $150,000 to $250,000 for digital platform development.

BAIC Assistant General Manager for Agricultural Marketing and Logistics John Burrows said the crop schedule is a demand-based programme developed after meetings with market stakeholders to identify the crops they are interested in purchasing from farmers.

“It will bring stability to agriculture to farmers. They are not only the produce that they produce, but the revenues as well. So gone are the days with a properly implemented crop schedule of wastage and gluts,” he said.

“We are going to optimize efficiency with the schedule, and we're going to coordinate it with all of the Family Islands currently right now growing.”

BAIC General Manager Troy Sampson said the programme will initially focus on five crops before expanding once it establishes a proof of concept.

“You want to grow what you need, right? And so, that's the demand that, and the efforts to be made through all of these visits to the family islands to get farmers to grow specifically toward that demand,” he said.

Mr Sampson said the cold-chain component is intended to address the challenges associated with moving produce between the Family Islands and New Providence.

“The cold chain system, which is really a system of reefers and proper cooling storage facilities to ensure that our crops are not exposed on the hull of ships, where they are subject to seawater and to the sun, which in some cases advances the ripening and the denaturing process,” he said.

The initial operating costs include $750,000 to $900,000 for nine technical staff, $500,000 to $750,000 for farmer input support, and $100,000 to $150,000 for GAP certification support.

The roadmap also allocates $200,000 to $300,000 for energy and utilities subsidies, $150,000 to $250,000 for marketing and branding, and $250,000 to $400,000 for maintenance and repairs.

The crop production strategy is being allocated by island, with Andros targeted for onions, green cabbage and tomatoes; Grand Bahama for tomatoes and sweet peppers; Abaco for cucumbers and mixed vegetables; Eleuthera for sweet peppers, tomatoes and pineapple; and Exuma for high-value herbs and spices and onions.

Mr Burrows said seasonality remains a challenge for Bahamian agriculture, with the  team working to expand production seasons while targeting wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and hotels.

“Everybody's really being targeted. Everybody's really on board. All the major players are definitely supporting this program,” he said.

The programme is expected to begin rolling out across the islands in phases, with Abaco next, followed by Grand Bahama in September and October and Eleuthera in November.

Mr Burrows said the first results of the effort should begin to be seen in the first quarter of 2027.

Mr Sampson said the programme is also intended to create a stronger commercial foundation for farmers, including access to inputs, equipment, infrastructure and eventually crop insurance.