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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
‘Grow What We Can’ – Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government the Hon. V. Alfred Gray, centre, leads the press conference. At left is Dion Duke Smith, MP Nassau Village & Chairman of BAIC, and at right is Cephas Cooper, Under Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture. Second row, from left: Alexander Carey, First Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture; Keith Dailey, Senior Food Technologist, Ministry of Agriculture; and Errington Thompson, President, Bahamas Agribusiness Cooperative Society. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
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NASSAU, The Bahamas - “Grow what we can and buy what we must” said Minister V. Alfred Gray, Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government during a press conference to launch the ‘Bahamas Agricultural, Marine Resources and Agribusiness Expositions 2015’ and the ‘Community and Backyard Farming Initiative 2015’ on Friday, January 23, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government.
The two initiatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government will be pivotal to the goals and objectives of the Ministry, said Minister Gray.
“My Ministry continues to adhere to its general mandate of grow what we can, buy what we must,” said Minister Gray, “as it seeks to enhance the development of our farming and fishing industries and to fuel the economic growth and development of these industries on the island of New Providence and throughout the Family Islands.”
The expos, which are expected to be bigger than in previous years, will be held in 15 locations throughout the country including New Providence, Exuma and Grand Bahama -- under the theme “progressing towards food security, our food, our future, our Bahamas” -- and indicate an increased focus on Family Island participation, Minister Gray said.
“The Government continues to channel human, financial and technical resources into these islands to ensure the sustainability, growth, education and the total development of the agri-business sector in our country’s quest to achieve food security thus making agriculture a strong pillar of our country’s economy.”
The Community and Backyard Farming Initiative, Minister Gray said, which has already begun, is a joint effort between the Ministry and the Ranfurly Home for Children, the Simpson Penn School for Boys, and The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services working together to eradicate hunger and malnutrition from amongst our people. “It is a pilot programme with reachable goals.”
The initiative is facilitated jointly by the Bahamas Agribusiness Cooperative Society Ltd. (BABCO) and the Department of Agriculture.
Community and Backyard Farming is being introduced at these institutions in order to continue the Government’s commitment to assist in designing and implementing new or existing areas of food production together with the means to manage and maintain them, in the long run.
Community farming can be satisfying and a very enriching experience. The Bahamas imports roughly 900 million dollars worth of food products every year. Most of the foods imported are produced by large agribusinesses, which sometimes have chemical input of which we know very little.
Further, hunger and malnutrition affect about 800 million people in the developing world. By and large these problems are due to an absolute scarcity of food.
The Backyard Farming Initiative started with the Ranfurly Home for Children and is now being introduced at the Simpson Penn School for Boys. The project at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, which will be facilitated by the Department of Agriculture, seeks to among other things empower people to supplement their food supply by growing it themselves, encourage self-reliance and reduce food costs.
The Agricultural, Marine Resources and Agribusiness Expos 2015 Schedule:
New Providence: March 5-7
Abaco: TBA
Eleuthera: February 20-21
Inagua: February 27-28
San Salvador/Rum Cay: March 6-7
Acklins: March 12-14
Crooked Island: March 12-14
North Andros: March 19-21
Grand Bahama: March 26-28
South Andros: April 3-4
Mangrove Cay: April 4-5
Cat Island: April 17-18
Long Island: April 19-21
Exuma: April 22-23
Mayaguana: April 24-25
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