Sweeting: Bahamas cannot afford to continue spending US$1B on food imports
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Clay Sweeting said The Bahamas must be progressive in its pursuit of food security, noting that this nation cannot continue to sustain its whopping $1 billion food import bill.
Sweeting, who yesterday addressed the Food for Future Summit at World Expo in Dubai, noted that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and The Bahamas share similar challenges in that The Bahamas currently imports nearly 90 percent of our food, with the UAE importing about the same percentage.
Sweeting noted that the price tag for imported food is pegged at US$1 billion — a disproportionate bill the country cannot continue to pay.
“We must make a paradigm shift as we endeavor to revolutionize agriculture and aquaculture in our country,” said Sweeting.
“In this regard, The Bahamas is looking for innovative ways to achieve food security.
“We are eager to learn about new, vibrant and sustainable ways to grow our food, and in the long run, be able to feed ourselves for many generations to come.”
According to Sweeting, food security is high on the country’s agenda, and “we must be progressive in our pursuit of it”.
“In this global pandemic, we cannot ignore that food prices have increased dramatically and that worldwide, shipping and logistics are becoming a challenge,” said Sweeting.
“With this sharp increase, we not only need to build resilience in our food production, but also find ways to export what we produce to increase our revenue.
“Rising food prices diminish household incomes and our ability to feed ourselves.”
Sweeting said his ministry is seeking to increase the country’s export capacity through agriculture and aquaculture by offering incentives and funding.
“While the island of New Providence has a number of farmlands, most farms can be found in our Family Islands — namely Andros, Abaco, Eleuthera, Cat Island and Exuma — that have greater capacity for farming,” he said.
“There are hundreds of farmers who are hungry for information and technical support to increase their knowledge, crop yield and income.
Rising food prices diminish household incomes and our ability to feed ourselves.
– Minister of Agriculture Clay Sweeting
“Additionally, we see the need to empower our youth and women to help sustain our food systems and increase productivity among our people.
“This is because most of our farmers are over the age of 60 years, which threatens the sustainability of our agriculture industry. We have essentially missed generations of farmers.
“Therefore, we must work diligently to encourage farming to strengthen our food systems.”
He also noted that the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) also has a pivotal role to play.
“We are aware of the need to share resources and transfer knowledge. We are eager to garner partnerships to this end,” said Sweeting.
“While this institute is located in Andros, our largest island, it is our aim to duplicate this program throughout The Bahamas.
“We also intend to collaborate with the University of The Bahamas (UB) to eliminate duplication and incorporate the administration, quality control, instructional, curriculum and research capabilities of the university to execute the initiatives of food security, agribusiness and the blue and green economies.”
