The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister yesterday said the Government plans to create an Agricultural Development Fund that will give young farmers access to grant and loan financing.

Clay Sweeting, minister for agriculture, marine resources and Family Island affairs (MAMRFIA), told the House of Assembly during his Budget debate contribution that The Bahamas must domestic food production’s survival by getting young Bahamians interested in agricultural again.

Reiterating that food security remains a policy priority for the ministry, he added that it will inject $1.3m into grant programmes for farmers and fishermen through the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) during the upcoming 2022-2023 Budget year.

“Cabinet has agreed to add boats and engine parts to the duty-free list to support the fishing sector. This is indeed welcome news for all fishermen throughout The Bahamas,” Mr Sweeting added.

From March 2022, Bahamian fishermen have been able to apply online for their compressor permits and renewals, along with commercial fishing licenses and renewals. Crawfish and stone crab trapping permits and renewals are also available online as part of the Government’s efforts to make application processes more efficient and less time consuming via digitisation.

Acknowledging the the threat posed stony coral tissue loss disease, Mr Sweeting said a multi-agency task force has been formed to mitigate its impact of this disease on Bahamian corals. The Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, The Bahamas National Trust, The Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance, the Grand Bahama Port Authority, the Perry institute of Marine Science and the Ministry of Tourism are all represented.

Mr Sweeting said: “The spiny lobster stock assessment was completed during September 2021. The stock assessment showed that the fishery is not over-fished, and that 5m pounds is a sustainable export amount for the fishery.

“While enough lobster can be found to export 6m to 7m pounds at times, I think this year we were just shy of 5m at 4.08m pounds. We must ensure the stock is sustainable. Management efforts have resulted in the stock status steadily improving, and it is projected that the status will continue to improve if exports are constrained to the current harvest control rule of 5m pounds and enforcement is effective.”

The Department of Marine Resources will also open an office on Bimini and receive a 25-foot Contender Marine patrol craft to aid its enforcement efforts.

“BAMSI (Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute) will be opening an office on Long Island to assist farmers on the island. Extension offices will be accessible and provide an outlet for plant distribution, training and other agricultural support,” Mr Sweeting added.