By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Deputy Prime Minister said the country is “moving in the right direction” on sustainable and climate smart agriculture.

Chester Cooper, also Minister for Tourism, Aviation and Investments, in a statement to the media, said at the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo that took place in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad: “We are moving in the direction of forward-looking greenhouse technologies and climate smart agriculture, with the built-in advantage of being sustainable and carbon negative.”

Mr Cooper led a delegation to the Expo inclusive of HE Winston Pinnock, Bahamas Ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to the two-day conference under the theme, “Transforming Agriculture through Innovation and Investment”.

He added: “Our particular focus is on our islands of Andros, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera where the bulk of arable land is available for agricultural development.”

In underscoring the government’s intent to bolster food security, he added that one of the goals is to develop a chemical-free $430m AGRIHAVEN in Grand Bahama with cutting-edge technology and infrastructure to become a major wholesale food producer for the region.

Currently, The Bahamas imports over 90 percent of its food, which translates into approximately $1bn in spending.

CARICOM Agri-Investment Forum and Expo was established as hub for Caribbean member states to network with stakeholders and investors. The inaugural expo took place in Guyana in May of this year. This second installment is focused on food and nutrition, agriculture, finance and marketing, trade and investment and innovation and technology. The forum is strategically designed to facilitate CARICOM member states in achieving the 25 percent by 2025 vision of reducing regional food imports by increasing targeted investments in the agricultural sector regionally.