By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister has asserted that the Government has no plans to impose tariffs on imported eggs to protect Bahamian producers as their products are already competitively priced and do not require additional support.

The issue arose during Senate debate on the 2026-2027 Budget, when Opposition Senator Rick Fox questioned whether the Government would consider taxing imported eggs as domestic production expands through the Golden Yolk programme.

Mr Fox, while praising the initiative, suggested tariffs could encourage consumers to purchase locally-produced eggs and support Bahamian farmers as the country works to reduce its dependence on imports. "Will we be adding a tariff to eggs coming into the country to support Bahamians?" Mr Fox asked.

Jerome Fitzgerald, minister of economic affairs, rejected the idea, arguing that tariffs are typically used when domestic producers cannot compete on price with imported goods. "If the price is already competitive, then there's no need to incentivise," Mr Fitzgerald said.

"You only incentivise if the local production cost is higher than what you could import it for. What we find here is the opposite. We're able to produce eggs cheaper than what we can import them."

Mr Fitzgerald said consumers already have access to competitively-priced Bahamian eggs and can decide for themselves whether to purchase local products.

"It is then for the public to decide whether they want to buy Bahamian eggs, which they have been consuming and buying almost all of, or whether they want to pay a higher price for imported eggs," he said.

The discussion came amid a broader debate on the future of the Government's Golden Yolk programme, which is designed to boost domestic egg production and strengthen food security.

Mr Fox added that The Bahamas imports an estimated 52m eggs annually, and questioned whether the programme's current production levels are sufficient to significantly reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

However, Mr Fitzgerald said the programme is expected to expand dramatically over the next several years. "The Golden Yolk programme is going to be scaled up to 27 million eggs," he said. "That's the goal over the next couple of years."

He said continued investment will be required as production is expanded through farmers across the country.

"There will be continuous investment because it's going to be distributed amongst various farmers throughout the country," said Mr Fitzgerald. "The programme is intended to assist them and bring them up to par."

Mr Fox welcomed the expansion plans, describing the prospect of increasing domestic egg production as "extremely exciting" and saying he hoped The Bahaamas could eventually replace a larger share of the eggs it currently imports.

The Government has allocated about $9m for the Golden Yolk initiative over the next three years as part of its broader food security strategy.