NASSAU, BAHAMAS — More than 80 percent of farmers in the country are over the age of 65, according to Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper.
Cooper said that the government is looking to support the involvement of more young persons in the agricultural sector, with the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Sciences Institute (BAMSI) serving as a “feeder program”.
Cooper, who has ministerial responsibility for Tourism, Aviation and Investments, was speaking on the sidelines of the recent CARICOM Agri-Investment Forum and Expo in Guyana.
He said that BAMSI which was founded under the last Christie administration will fulfill its mandate as a training institute.
“It was designed to really inspire, teach and provide the technical support and training to new and existing farmers,” said Cooper.
He continued: “It will become a training institute more so than it has been over the past several years. We have had a lot of bad publicity in relation to what has and hasn’t happened with regards to BAMSI. BAMSI is a significant institution for our country and I know we are going to bring focus to it in support of agriculture and in supporting more young people to get involved in farming.
“More than 80 percent of our farmers are over the age of 65. We have got to do something about that and I know that BAMSI is going to be that feeder program.”
Cooper led a delegation along with Minister for Agriculture, Marine Resources & Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting to Georgetown, Guyana last week to the CARICOM Agri-Investment Forum and Expo, which included three days of immersive sessions and discussions focused on the regional agricultural sector and agri-food systems.
The forum and expo were created to address the issue of investment in the regional agriculture sector and provide opportunities for Caribbean countries to meet and network with stakeholders and potential investors.
The Bahamas currently imports more than 90 percent of its food needs, which translates into approximately $1 billion in spending.
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