Eggs ‘another cash cow Gov’t can milk’

Minister directly afterwards and said: ‘Why are you doing it this like this?’ He said: ‘What do you mean?’

I said: ‘Why not set it up to assist the existing farmers and let them do what they do?’

“He said: ‘We’re going to do that.’ I said: ‘In which way?’ He said: ‘We’re going to buy the eggs back from the farmers and sell the eggs.’ I said: ‘You mean the farmers will be working for the Government.’ He said: ‘No, no. The farmers will have their own entity, but they are going to need to pay the Government back for the facilities it provides, and after that they can do whatever it is, but not before they sell the eggs to the Government and the Government sells the eggs’.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Ms Shepherd argued. “Why is the Government getting into egg production when we already have existing farmers producing eggs? It’s a matter of expanding their farms, and the Government putting in place policies to assist them. It’s a cash cow that the Government now sees it can milk.”

Based on Mr Sweeting’s description, the sale of eggs to the Government’s SPV by the farmers will help to repay the former’s initial investment in setting up the Golden Yoke initiative while still allowing the farmers to make a profit. “Upon production, the contracted farmer will sell all the eggs to the special purpose vehicle who will deduct the costs of the inputs and pay the profits to the farmer,” the minister explained. The SPV will then sell the eggs to food wholesalers and retailers for consumer distribution. Some may view this structure as overly complex, and wonder why the Government simply does not lease the grow houses to the farmers on commercial rental terms. It also appears to add another intermediary, and its extra layer of costs, into the food supply chain. However, others will likely argue that only the Government could provide the level of investment needed to stimulate domestic egg self-sufficiency given that no private sector investors have yet stepped forward to provide the capital required. And, as a result, it needs to recover and gain a return on its initial outlay.

Ms Shepherd, who said she told Mr Sweeting that she will “defend the farmers to the hilt”, queried why it seemed as if the Government - not the farmers - will hire the 90 persons it says are required to operate the grow houses. “The long and short of it is that they are putting facilities in place for the farmer to work for them,” she argued. “They’re going to hire people, which the farmers should be doing, and going to want to run these things and produce eggs...

“It’ll be like they have now with the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), which is selling lettuce and undercutting the farmers on the price of lettuce, which is sad. Overall, the concept [of Golden Yoke] is a noble one, but it does not impact the farmers the way it should. It’s a way for the Government to add stars to their crown but that doesn’t mean the stars are going to shine at the end of the day. It’s not benefiting agriculture directly through the farmers.”

Fearing that the Government will follow BAMSI’s lettuce example by undercutting established egg farmers with its Golden Yoke production, Ms Shepherd said: “It’s not the Government’s livelihood; it’s the farmers’ livelihood that the Government is getting into. The purpose of government is to put the policies in place, not getting into egg production or farming directly.

“I’m not knocking the project. It’s a fantastic project, but the avenue they are using for this is not the right avenue. It’s not the

Notice

NOTICE is hereby given that SHEZELLE ELIZABETH KNOWLES of Gum Tree Street, Pinewood Gardens, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 22nd day of February, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOVA BAY COMPANY LIMITED right direction they should be going in for agriculture or the farmers. The farmers are the persons in agriculture. They have the passion, they have the desire. They will be there through sunshine and rain. They have the stickability and wherewithal to make sure their chickens lay eggs.”

Ms Shepherd added that the Golden Yoke project may entice some farmers to abandon their existing fields, as she warned against contracting with “fly by night persons” with no agriculture experience to operate and manage the grow houses.

Daphne DeGregory Miaoulis, Abaco’s Chamber of Commerce president, also warned the Government against creating a situation where it competes directly against existing egg producers.

“I appreciate and I commend the Government for putting focus on growing agricultural opportunities. Ultimately, we can’t consider ourselves as an independent country if we can’t feed ourselves. We need to be able to feed ourselves first and foremost. So anything to encourage that, yes,” she said.

“But definitely government doesn’t need to be in competition. We just need to create the opportunities for local Bahamian owned-farms and farmers to maximise their economic potential. This special vehicle, which sounds sort of sketchy, does the Government own this 100 percent? Are aspects of this foreignowned? Who’s going to monitor and maintain the health of these farms?

“We had chicken farms in the past and they shut them all down. Why didn’t it work in the past? What are they doing to ensure that we don’t have the same failures that caused the farms to close in the first place? Are they going to directly compete with the local small poultry farmers? Or are they going to also want to promote and sell their products as well? The first thought is that they are going to create a situation that wipes out the small guy,” Mrs DeGregory Miaoulis said.

“In agriculture, the actual grower is the one that will generate the least amount of income from the finished product. The wholesaler and the retailer will generally generate two to three times what the grower generates, although the grower takes all the risk, has all the labour and bears all the costs of production.”

Suggesting a slightly different approach, the Abaco Chamber president added: “They should create possibilities for private-owned enterprises and give them the encouragement to work with individual farms and be able to provide marketing and support if we’re growing a crop adequately to meet the demands of the marketplace.

“They should pull farmers together and provide a packing house that’s functional on each island, and provide proper transport that is affordable to get the product to market. If you took a poll, you’ll find that most Bahamians involved in agriculture are seniors. We need new and innovative farming methods and opportunities to attract young people.

“Farming doesn’t have to be dirty. It’s not about digging holes and getting dirt under your fingernails any more. There are modern, mechanised methods of farming that would attract young people. If not, we’re going have a gap where when the seniors can’t farm any more and we won’t have people who are willing to farm.”

The Golden Yolk project is expected to increase local egg production from about 700,000 to 28 million per year, construct 38 grow houses on 12 Family Islands, inject $2.3m into the economy annually and propel the country towards food security.

Legal Notice

NOTICE

PIRI INTERNATIONAL LTD.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:

Environmental, Health and Safety Officer

Location: Ocean Cay, The Bahamas

Department: Environmental Operations & Compliance

Reports to: Vice President Environmnetal Operations & Compliance

Job Purpose

The Environmental, Health and Safety Officer oversees the implementation and continued appropriateness of the environmental, health, safety and social management system (EHSS MS) for Ocean Cay Marine Reserve (OCMR); ensuring the training of personnel on the island to enable required procedures and practices to be followed. The role requires regular monitoring and auditing of the entire facility, data collection and regular reporting to senior management on the island and to the head office. The EHS Officer must identify appropriate actions and measures to ensure continual improvement of environmental, health, safety, and social performance, aligned with the sustainability strategy and goals of MSC Cruises. Through regular communications with the relevant Senior Management, the EHS Officer is responsible for establishing goals and tracking progress in meeting these requirements. The EHS Officer is also responsible for the planning of regular meetings of the OCMR Sustainability Committee.

The EHS Officer operationally reports to the General Manager OCMR, and liaise with the MSC CM Environmental Operations & Compliance Department, MSC CM Fleet Sanitation Department, MSC CM Marine Operations Department, MSC CM Energy Efficiency Department, MSC Cruises (USA), MSC Cruises Sustainability Department (Geneva).

Key Responsibilities

Ensure the ongoing implementation of the EHSS MS and its continued effectiveness, which includes providing appropriate management support to the island operational team.

• Promote company sustainability, related policies & commitments to OCMR personnel. Ensure all positions receive job-specific training relative to the requirements of the EHSS MS and the Responsibility Assignment (RACI) Matrix, with the consolidation and retention of all training records.

• Maintain all EHS and ISO 14001 documents, Environmental Permits, Consents and Approvals, and ensure their accuracy in accordance with legislative and Company’s requirements and their availability for Authorities and Company Representatives.

Oversee OCMR compliance with the governmental obligations including requirements of the current Environmental Impact Assessment, the environmental and social management plans; and in view of future modifications or expansions, advising management where necessary Verify, through periodical inspections/checks, full implementation and compliance with EHS company procedures and any other applicable local, national, or regulatory requirements.

• Ensure that procedures for management of waste, including collection, segregation, storage and lawful disposals are properly implemented, understood and correctly followed by all employees. Provide professional assistance and training to employees involved in public health matters a) Qualifications/Experience

• Train all employees and contractors in all phases and aspects related to the safety and chemical safety protocols of the island.

• Investigate any safety and occupational health accident or near miss that occurs on the island in order to find new measures to prevent future accidents.

• Bachelor’s Degree in environmental management, health and safety or equivalent degree Advanced public health, safety and environmental training.

• Thorough knowledge of relevant public health and sanitation, safety, and environmental regulations and procedures

• At least 3 years’ experience in working and implementing environmental and/or health and safety management systems, such as those compliant with ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001/ISO 45001 Working proficiency in English, both verbal and written. Knowledge of other core languages is an advantage

• Strong interpersonal skills to ensure harmonious workplace relations. Applicants can submit their resume to: hr@mscoceancay.com

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to section 138 (8) of the International Business Companies Act 2000 the dissolution of Nova Bay Company Limited has been completed and the company has been struck from the Register on the 21st day of December 2022.

Baird One Limited Liquidator

(a) Piri International Ltd. is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b) The dissolution of the said Company commenced on the 28th day of February 2023.

(c) The Liquidator of the said Company is Baird One Limited of Deltec House, Lyford Cay, P.O. Box N-3229, Nassau, Bahamas.

Dated this 1st day of March A.D. 2023

Baird One Limited Liquidator