The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE primary purpose of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute has always been to educate students to become successful farmers and not directly satisfy local food demands, the institute’s chairman Tennyson Wells said yesterday.

Mr Wells also revealed that BAMSI is currently “not on target to turn a profit” this year, with further revenue projections suggesting a four to five year profit lull. He was responding to concerns raised by several vendors invited to tour institution’s North Andros campus, many of whom questioned whether the operation could consistently service local demand.

Those vendors, which included Super Value, Discount Distributors and a food and beverage team from Sandals resorts, all suggested that BAMSI, as presently laid out, offered the capacity for mass local produce production.

The group further suggested that if more of a focus is given to farming, harvesting and handling fresh produce in a “ready for market” operation-chain, BAMSI could develop into a “central nerve” for local produce.

In a interview with The Tribune at the conclusion of yesterday’s tour, Mr Wells asserted: “Our first interest has always been to educate the students that come through this institution to become successful farmers, secondary to that is to feed the students, selling what we call the surplus has always been tertiary to what we do here.”

He added: “Selling to the local market is not and has never been our primary goal. This institution aims to service the agricultural and marine science areas, not to replace them.”

“That not a part of our mission. BAMSI, the idea here is to educate students and to get them to appreciate the idea of local agriculture and what is possible here.”

Mr Wells told The Tribune that any shift away from this original premise would, in time, lead to the complete failure of “true food security.”

“We need to encourage the industry and the people operating in it, that be our farmers, fishermen and so on. We aren’t here to out work them in the market. We are here to illustrate to them in our research, development and production, that so much is possible here in The Bahamas if you follow this, this and this,” Mr Wells contended.

“We in this new administration and board view BAMSI as the ultimate training and test ground, and yes, the produce we have at this moment is world class and you have some retailers that will run as down to get as much as possible, but we can’t lose sight of that number one goal - producing as many Bahamian farms and farmers as possible.”

Mr Wells said the new board at BAMSI inherited the project in dire straights, and has put in a considerable effort to “turn things around without breaking the bank.”

He told The Tribune: “When we got here, we had areas of the farm that was inoperable and needed immediate attention less we risk the loss of thousands of dollars in fruit and vegetable plants.

“We stepped in in April of last year and we went to work on ways to do what we could to rehabilitate this venture with out breaking the bank and bleeding the public purse.

“I am one to say there is value here. We have a team of farmers and scientist of the farm side, and a team of administrators and planners on the school side that are working hand-in-hand to make the vision of BAMSI a reality.

“It will take time. It will take effort. It will even take some money, but our idea is to use the quality products you have seen all around us today and turn that into workable capital that can finish this compound, get our students into the classrooms and dorms as soon as April of this year,” Mr Wells added.

On display yesterday was the expansion to the livestock herding facility; expanded crop production inclusive of squash, tomato, sweet peppers, pineapple, bananas, plantain, egg plants and zucchini; and a renewed attempt at an aquaponic system. Currently, according to Mr Wells, BAMSI is working on a $7m annual budget.

In January, Mr Wells revealed that a forensic audit of BAMSI showed that former senior administrators received “ridiculously favourable” contracts in the lead up to the 2017 general election.

He also noted at the time of the probe, auditors were obstructed in their work, discovering documents they were seeking had been lost or destroyed.

Mr Wells said the audit had two dimensions, examining both matters strictly under the control of BAMSI administrators and the building of BAMSI’s physical structure in North Andros.

Yesterday Mr Wells said that report was still to be presented to Cabinet.