The Tribune

The Bahamas Commercial Spongers Association (BCSA) has signed two contracts to lease and renovate a building as part of efforts to revive the industry.

The contracts were signed on May 31, 2018, for a building that will become a sponge processing plant in Mangrove Cay, Andros.

Lynward Saunders, president of BCSA-Mangrove Cay, signed the lease contract on behalf of the Association. The contract for repairs to the building was executed by the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) on the Association's behalf.

"I know the community feels really good about today's signing," Mr Saunders said. The project to revitalise the sponging industry is sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the government. It is being managed by BAIC with support from the IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture), the Bahamas National Trust, the Department of Marine Resources and BCSA Board members.

The $1.1m project aims to increase income for Andros spongers by providing them with a larger share of the industry's revenue. A major component is the formation of the Bahamas Commercial Spongers Association to centralise the processing and help link local spongers directly with international markets.

BAIC's senior deputy general manager, Debbie Strachan, said: "As sponging is the bedrock of the Mangrove Cay community, I believe this is going to cause an even greater economic impact for those who sponge in the community.

"We are excited, and I am wishing the project and those in Mangrove Cay even greater success as they move forward with sponging here in The Bahamas."

IDB documents show the project is intended to empower spongers who "do not have access to higher-value markets because they are not organised, and do not have the skills to process and market the sponges, and thus earn a low income". Many spongers harvest the sponge and sell it at a low price, not realising the full economic value of their work.

Mr Saunders said the processing centre will allow spongers to receive a higher price by adding value to the sponge in a variety of ways. "We are going to clip it and package it, and do a lot of other marketing right here in Mangrove Cay to add value to the sponge to get a higher price for the local spongers," he said.

"When you actually create something like this on the island it creates an economic empowerment. Sponging is very valuable to Mangrove Cay, and establishing a processing plant here will cause the sponge value to increase, and we can earn more money and be able to create an industry here."

Claudine Green, project co-ordinator, added: "In a matter of a few weeks we hope to transform this space into a processing area. I am excited, and can't wait to come back to open this plant to help the people of Andros and The Bahamas."