Bahamas moves to reposition agriculture
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| Published on Friday, November 6, 2009 |
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NASSAU, Bahamas (BIS) -- The government is moving “resolutely to reposition agriculture as a strong pillar of the Bahamian economy,” Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Lawrence S ‘Larry’ Cartwright told industry stakeholders Wednesday.
He was speaking at a Food and Agriculture Organization forum convened to review the draft report on the Rapid Assessment of the Agricultural Sector, which was carried out in October by the FAO.
Cartwright confirmed that The Bahamas imports 80 per cent of its food.
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| Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Lawrence ‘Larry’ Cartwright. (BIS photo/Letisha Henderson) |
“It is important that a development plan be drawn up to guide our efforts in increasing food production in the country,” said Cartwright. "Therefore, the importance of this meeting cannot be over-emphasized.”
A goal of the FAO assessment is the drafting of a five-year plan for the growth and development of agriculture.
“It is important that this plan should be the result of actual studies conducted in the major farming communities across the country,” he said. “It is important that you, the stakeholders, play an integral part in writing this plan.
”Your views and comments are essential to making this one that has been generated by and responds to the actual needs, rather than the assumed needs of the farming community and one that represents a cross section of the views, opinions and aspirations in the agricultural sector.”
Attending the discussions included representatives from Government ministries dealing with food, nutrition and agriculture, local governments, private sector organizations, and individual experts.
FAO was invited to undertake a rapid assessment of the agricultural and fisheries sectors within The Bahamas, with a view to providing a thoughtful response to the food crisis.
Although international food prices have come down from their 2008 peaks, they are still higher than they were in 2006 and are likely to remain volatile, Cartwright explained.
While net exporting countries will benefit and experience higher terms of trade and more income, he noted, net importing countries like The Bahamas will face lower terms of trade and have to pay a larger food import bill.
The FAO’s Soaring Food Prices and Rapid Assessment Initiatives allowed many countries to respond adequately and competently to the crisis, he said.
Last month’s assessment exercise included a review of the policy and program documentation, an environmental scan, and area inspections throughout The Bahamas.
Five assessment teams, headed by FAO consultants, interviewed farmers and agri-business persons in New Providence, Abaco, Andros, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama and Long Island.
”The drafting of a five-year plan for growth and development in the agricultural sector is…the work, responsibility and business of all involved in food production,” he said.
It could be argued, he said, that the present status of agriculture in The Bahamas and the many challenges the sector faces “are the result of a lack of any planning at all, over several generations,” said Cartwright.
”Ad hoc and crisis management of the agricultural sector is not sustainable. The state of the sector today requires the prudent and efficient use of resources.
“If we are to get anywhere in agriculture in the medium term, that is, in the next five years or so, we have to decide, today, where we are going and the path that we must take to get there.
“The tasks you perform are essential to our formulation of a comprehensive and thoughtful policy on agriculture. The immediate and medium term issues that are to be addressed are matters of greatest urgency. You are the most important actors in this process. Your role is not only pivotal, it is a historic one.
“Depending on the outcome of your deliberations today, this convocation could be a watershed for agriculture, a positive turning point in our fortunes.” | | | | Reads : 406 | | | |
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