Farmer: ‘Blowing smoke’ of 30 years seems over

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN poultry farmer last night voiced optimism that the Government is finally serious about ending three decades of “blowing smoke” on food security as it formally unveiled its $15m egg self-sufficiency ambitions.

Lance Pinder, Abaco Big Bird’s operations manager, told Tribune Business that the Davis administration’s goal of producing 100 percent of the country’s egg supply locally through the ‘Golden Yoke’ project appeared “realistic” provided politics was eliminated from its management.

Acknowledging that successive administrations “don’t have a good track record” in owning/ operating commercial enterprises, he added that it was vital the right farmers be given total freedom and independence to manage the grow houses and all business-related aspects as they see fit.

As a broiler meat producer, Mr Pinder said the plans disclosed yesterday at a ceremony headed by the Prime Minister would not impact his Abacobased operation directly. “I have mixed feelings about it,” he told this newspaper. “The Government has never been very successful at doing big initiatives like this, but you have to hope they can pull it off.

“I think as long as the process doesn’t get politicised, and it’s not ‘my buddy and your buddy’, it could be a very good thing. It depends on how they’re going to manage that. Previous administrations in the country don’t have a good track record. But I don’t want to knock it, as they say, and they’ve got to keep trying.”

Clay Sweeting, minister of agriculture, marine resources and Family Island

Affairs, revealed to Tribune Business on Monday that the ‘Golden Yoke’ initiative is aiming to take domestic Bahamian egg production from 700,000 per year to 28m when complete and fully operational.

Suggesting that it would slash The Bahamas’ estimated $1bn food imports by around 1 percent, he explained that it will involve the provision of “climate smart grow houses” in both New Providence and the Family Islands to help create a sustainable domestic agriculture niche.

And, while the Government is seeking to provide the “enabling” environment, Mr Sweeting emphasised that it was not seeking to take over domestic egg production itself. Rather, he added that management and operational

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