NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Senator Tyrel Young, Executive Chairman of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), recently held a virtual meeting with a few industry stakeholders to discuss food security and ways to reduce the country’s food import bill.
Young said he wanted to liaise with wholesalers, restaurants and organizations to discuss some of the issues they face and to encourage them to purchase locally grown produce.
The meeting was held on Tuesday, March 22.
“The fight for food security is a national responsibility as we are all key players in decreasing the food import bill,” Young said. He noted that research has shown that there is hesitancy by retailers and vendors to purchase locally.
Young also used the meeting to to find out from stakeholders what are the main produce they normally purchased locally, what new produce offerings they wanted to be provided locally and also to get feedback on their experience with buying local products.
There were several overarching concerns, including: the quality, grading and sizing of products, and a need for more variety in produce offering including red onions, iceberg and romaine lettuce. There was also a call for more support in processing of foods, such as the shredding of cabbage for coleslaw and offering canned goods such as canned tomatoes and other vegetables.
The stakeholders also stated that there were frequent shortages in produce such as limes, plantains, lettuce, tomatoes, cassava and boniatos. Young explained that his team is currently working on repairing the grading machine. He said it should be back in operation in the coming weeks.
Plans are also underway for the establishment of greenhouse parks throughout the country, in order to provide seasonal produce year round.
Young also said that BAMSI is in discussions with farmers about maximizing yield, ensuring variety and reducing over-abundance of certain produce.
Another meeting is expected to be held in June with farmers to further discuss these issues.
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