By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister yesterday revealed half the 3,000 chickens set for the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) are now in Andros with the Golden Yolk initiative “moving speedily ahead”.

Jomo Campbell, minister of agriculture and marine resources, confirmed the programme is “underway” and said birds have already been sourced to Andros. Layer houses are being built, with the project currently “in the hands of the Ministry of Works”. He added that Clay Sweeting, minister of works, indicated the Ministry of Agriculture may get the “baton in the last quarter of this year”.

“The Golden Yolk programme is moving steadily and speedily ahead. The layer houses are out of the ground, and they are there for all to see. There’s no need for any speculation or political gesturing on it. Buildings are coming out of the ground,” Mr Campbell said. 

“And that aspect of the project, the infrastructural aspect of that project, is now in the hands of the Ministry of Works. And we are soon expecting the handover back to the Ministry of Agriculture, where we will start to roll out the production aspect of it.” 

With a few setbacks delaying the project, Mr Campbell assured that despite any unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances, the Golden Yolk programme is making progress. “Any time anything doesn’t go according to plan, there’s always some disappointment,” he added.”But in our ministry, we have a motto called ‘We believe’. And so we use disappointments as motivation.

“And any time you’re dealing with a project of that magnitude, you know something is bound to go wrong. There are multiple ministries involved. We were also dealing with international partners. There were supply chain demands.

“And, if you recall, there was a point in time last year where there was even a disruption in the movement and transshipment of goods from the docks in the United States of America. So there were external factors that were pretty much out of our control. But all that is being put to bed now. We are on the move, and it’s there for all to see.”

Mr Campbell said production will begin once construction finishes. “It will all depend on the timelines and the conclusions of the construction phase of it,” he added. “And, as you know, there are several external factors, weather etc, that comes into play as it relates to construction. But as soon as they are done, we are on the way and we are ready to go with our mandate of it from the Ministry of Agriculture.

“The birds that are going to be a part of the process have already been sourced. And, in addition to that, I can also say that we are now also underway, and just sending half of the 3,000 birds earmarked for BAMSI have already arrived in Andros. And so the Golden Yolk is proceeding. It’s moving steadily, and Bahamians will be able to see eggs on hand in short order.”