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News : Bahamas Information Services Updates Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


PM Christie opens BAIC Corporate Headquarters‏
Jul 26, 2014 - 12:18:34 AM

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Remarks by


The Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie, MP, P.C.,

Prime Minister

Commonwealth of The Bahamas

at the

Opening Ceremony

of the

THE BAHAMAS AGRICULTURAL & INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION’S NEW

CORPORATE OFFICE AND TRAINING CENTER


Thursday, 24th July 2014


SALUTATIONS

Today, we are here for a grand occasion as we participate in the opening of permanent headquarters for The Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation. This is a very proud moment and special occasion for me, personally, and also in my capacity as Prime Minister. During my years as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, I had carriage of this Corporation as the Minister responsible for the BAIC and so I share in the joy and spirit of this occasion. We are here to celebrate a proud step in the right direction for the future of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

As some of you might recall, BAIC is a successor organization from what was then The Bahamas Development Corporation which was enacted in 1971. In 1975 The Bahamas Agricultural Corporation was created for the specific purposes to stimulate, facilitate and encourage the development of agriculture in The Bahamas, including the processing of agricultural goods and to market the product of agriculture within or outside The Bahamas and to carry out, operate and participate in any agricultural project as the Minister may approve.

Today, over forty years later, BAIC has a permanent home here in the Industrial Park, accessible to its clients and in the heart of the community. I am sure you will all agree with me that it is a beautiful and functional edifice well suited to meet the functional demands of the organization.

I am particularly pleased, with its futuristic design and how that will affect the operation cost of running BAIC. I am also very impressed with the level and quality of craftsmanship that was put into the building of this beautiful edifice and how the design was worked into our general philosophy of energy conservation. The present situation in The Bahamas with regard to energy consumption is unsustainable. We need the energy but we know that we have to find a more cost effective source and route to that energy.

This new Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation’s headquarters with its design for self sufficiency in power generation is the prototype for future government buildings. There is no reason why we cannot substantially reduce our dependency on our current energy source. The technology is readily available and we are going to employ it.

There is no more reliable source of energy than the sun and in a sun-drenched place such as The Bahamas. We have to learn how to harness this power supply to produce electricity. This is the way to the future for The Bahamas.

I wish to take time to congratulate Mr. Arnold Forbes, the Chairman of the BAIC, for this wonderful achievement. What we see here today is largely the production of his vision for this Corporation.

BAIC.jpg

The Executive Chairman is from the new generation and he represents the future policy makers of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

On my recent trip abroad in search of new investment capital for The Bahamas I was able to effectively illustrate and demonstrate our vision with images from the BAMSI project in North Andros. BAMSI is a huge investment in the future development of our country. It is a true representation of the way forward for this country. But even in its infant stage BAMSI impressively clarifies our vision for the future development of The Bahamas. BAIC will have a leading role to play in the success of BAMSI, given its mandate to stimulate, facilitate and encourage the development of agriculture in The Bahamas and for related purposes. Already, through its existing programmes, BAIC is assisting farmers in the establishment of Farmers Associations on a number of our islands and offers grant funding for seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural inputs.

Over its forty-three years of existence in one form or another, BAIC has played a vital role in the development of small and medium scale businesses throughout The Bahamas. In its current operation profile the Corporation overseas a portfolio of thousands of acres of farm land throughout The Bahamas.

The Corporation is also responsible for the leasing of lands to the tenants of the Industrial Parks at Soldier Road and at the Gladstone Road Industrial Park. Both parks are almost at the saturation point with tenants and as a result the Government is considering a request from the Corporation for additional acreages. What is important is that each tenant represents a new business opportunity and new employment for our young men and women.

One very vital activity of the Corporation has been the very grass-roots level work it has been doing in the area of Handicraft. It is a fact that the Handicraft Department has trained over 5,000 persons since 2000 and has established the Bahamas National Craft Association. In this regard, I urge that you proceed as quickly as resources will allow to complete the Craft Centre at the BAIC office in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Native handicraft will become increasingly more important as our tourism products ramps up with ever increasing visitors arrival. We must ensure that we are able to latch on to this anticipated surge in Tourism and we can only do so if we can produce world standard handicraft items. This will be a challenge and should be a number one focus of the BAIC.

Finally, I am pleased to learn that BAIC has an active plan as to where it will go in the future. These plans include:

· The re-development of the Produce Exchange

· The construction of a Food Processing facility here in New Providence

· The re-development of the Family Island Packing Houses intact with modern facilities

· The re-development of the Abattoir and the Sponge Industry Revitalization Project

All of these projects are very meaningful in terms of the delivery and re-vitalization of agricultural services throughout The Bahamas. Agriculture has become a key component, not only in terms of food security and its obvious impact on our capital outflows in terms of balance of payments but also because of its growing impact on job creation. We must proceed with these plans.

Ladies and Gentlemen: We are on a wise course. We must not be swayed from this good path for the sake of expediency. This is not only true of BAIC but of the Government as a whole.

This new edifice is the nerve center for BAIC’s wide array of activities and responsibilities. The work environment has to be conducive to production. To the staff of the BAIC, we have tried to make your accommodations as comfortable as possible because we are well aware of the long hours you have to spend at your stations. We are also aware of the amount of energy and dedication you put into carrying out your responsibility. We are grateful for the fantastic jobs you perform and the true reward is a constant daily improvement in the overall lives and standard of living of the Bahamian people.

My congratulations to all involved in this project for making a long held dream a reality.

Thank You!


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