The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources yesterday said the controversial $2.1 billion Chinese agricultural development proposed for Andros would likely have “complemented” the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute(BAMSI).

V Alfred Gray said the proposal would not have “put BAMSI out of business”. He again reiterated that there is no proposal before the Government for its approval, and that he had only given the Bahamas’ ambassador to China, Paul ‘Andy’ Gomez, permission to have discussions with Chinese investors about the initiative.

The proposal would have involved the incorporation of 100 companies, jointly owned by Chinese and Bahamian interests, with the agricultural products and seafood to be used for local consumption and exported to China and the US for sale. Some 10,000 acres of Crown Land would have been leaased to these companies, potentially rising to 20,000 if certain performance benchmarks were hit.

“If those discussions led to the Government approving some farming or agricultural investment, I think it would have complemented BAMSI,” Mr Gray said.

“We import some $900 million worth of food. BAMSI will not be able to produce that over the next 15-20 years. If they had been given permission to farm for rice or whatever, it would have complemented what we are doing at BAMSI.

“It certainly would not have put BAMSI out of business, because we import $900 million, and if BAMSI just made $100 million it would be doing well. But because we need so much food, no one BAMSI will be able to supply all the food that we need.”

Mr Gray continued: “We didn’t start BAMSI because we believed that it would shut off imports altogether. We wanted to start something to show that Bahamians need to at least start considering feeding ourselves.”

He added that while he was satisfied with BAMSI’s performance, there was room for improvement.

“I am excited about it; I’m very satisfied,” Mr Gray said. “Of course, everything could be improved, and I hope that I don’t give the impression that there is no room for improvement, but what I see BAMSI having done is to begin a process by which Bahamians could participate in a process of feeding ourselves.”