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Advertisers Dupuch & Turnquest & Co.
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Agricultural sector is ripe for growth
Andros, The Abacos and Grand Bahama Island are the three areas of The Bahamas that are being targeted. These islands are endowed with adequate water resources and fertile soil. Crops grown include citrus fruits, grapefruit, lemons, limes, and oranges, as well as avocados, papaya, lettuce and zucchini.
The Industry - Statistically Speaking
In 1998, the value of the agricultural sector was estimated to be about $53.87 million. Nearly 12,000 tons were exported bringing revenues of $8.4 million. Ninety-five percent of crops that are exported go to the United States.
Although export levels dropped 28.8 percent from 1997 to 1998, projections are that these numbers will climb with increased acreage in lemons and diversification of crops to include passion fruit and melons. Growth is also expected in the volume of winter vegetable crops such as cucumber, green pepper, squash, melons and other tropical fruit.
To try to even the flow of produce on the market during the six to eight months when some products are over supplied, the government is encouraging farmers to diversify their crops further to produce sweet potatoes, bananas, onions, Irish potatoes and pigeon-peas, which are in demand year round.
The 1994 Census for Agriculture found that about 1,800 farms in The Bahamas with more than 5,000 acres of agricultural land are used for citrus production.
“Growing citrus in The Bahamas is not much different from growing it in Florida,” said Jim Gilbert, General Manager of Bahama Star Ltd. in Abaco. “We use the same fertilizers and pesticides here and we have to do very little irrigating.” He noted that while the absence of cold weather in The Bahamas is an advantage when it comes to growing, it also is a disadvantage because cold weather tends to reduce harmful insect populations.
Bahama Star produces 400,000 85-pound boxes of red grapefruit; 150,000 85-pound boxes of white grapefruit; 150,000 90-pound boxes of lemons; 50,000 90-pound boxes of oranges; and 50,000 90-pound boxes of limes. Ninety-five percent of the fruit grown in the Abaco orchard is exported to the U.S. market; five percent is consumed within the country.
In addition to commercial farming on some of the larger islands, many people practice subsistence farming, sending their excess crops to market within The Bahamas.
From a government collection point in Exuma, 200 to 300 bags of onions and more than 200 cases of tomatoes and dozens of other kinds of fruits and vegetables are shipped out weekly. About 80 percent of families on Exuma still make a living from farming the land. A box of tomatoes can earn $14 for a family and onions earn 90 cents a pound. Farms vary from plots 200-by-200 to several acres.
Dr. Earl Deveaux, former minister of agriculture and fisheries, noted that an emphasis should be placed on educating small farmers to grow a mixture of crops so that they can be self-sufficient year round.
One of the challenges the industry has is that young people have very little interest in farming. “You mostly just see older, retired people farming these days,” said Sabbie Rolle. “Young people are happy to eat fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden, but they are not interested in working the land,” she added.
Poultry Consumption High in the Bahamas
Poultry production is also important adjunct to the agricultural sector. All poultry eaten in the Bahamas must be cultivated in the Bahamas. The government put a ban on poultry importation several years ago to force the development of the agricultural sector.
There is also limited production of swine and cattle in The Bahamas. On Grand Bahama Island, there has been a move to re-establish a dairy farm. The farm worked toward having 316 head of cattle and producing 1.4 liters of milk by 1999.
Mariculture
According to Deveaux, there are opportunities for investors who are interested in starting mariculture projects.
Deveaux said that 90 percent of the volume and 90 percent of the value in fishing is for lobster and 90 percent of the catch is exported. “It is a very hard sell for us to convince our fishermen to go into mariculture or aquaculture when they can go to the sea and catch what they need in a matter of hours a couple of days a week. Traditionally our fisherman have exported the bulk of their catch and they make a good living.” Deveaux noted that for that reason it is a hard sell to convince Bahamian fishermen to invest capital in mariculture or aquaculture.
“There is a large demand for mariculture and aquaculture projects. We need investors who have large capital investment, technology and technical assistance and an understanding of global markets who can appreciate how an investment in a long-term development, such as mariculture, would make sense,” said Deveaux.
With thousands of acres of fertile land, it is surprising that more investors have not come to develop the agricultural sector. Deveaux noted that because of capital investment and minimal to average returns, the agricultural sector has not been seen as attractive as tourism or financial services. However, as the tourism market grows, so too will demands. That is perhaps what is needed to jump start investment in the sector.
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Table of Contents The Bahamas: An established tourism and tax-free financial services center experiences a renaissance |
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In The Bahamas, 90 percent of agricultural land lies in the hands of the government. Under a new policy, the Ministry of Agriculture (Incorporation) Act of 1993, 36,148 prime acres of crown land have been set aside to aid in the growth of the economy and foster less dependence on the tourism sector.
Subsistence Farming
Six poultry farms, according to 1993 statistics, produce 14 million pounds of meat worth more than $15 million and more than 4.15 million dozen eggs, valued at $4.85 million. Chicken is The Bahamas most popular meat dish with Bahamians consuming more than 100 pounds per person per year; one of the highest consumption rates per capita worldwide.