Above: the new farming equipment (BIS Photo/Gladstone Thurston)
By Gladstone Thurston
Farmers in the Bahamas’ Long Island got a boost last week with the commissioning of a tractor and equipment from the country’s Agriculture Ministry.
The new tools should increase the rate of land preparation, reduce the cost of production and promote better quality crops, according to Agriculture Minister Larry Cartwright.
Long Island is the third Bahamian island to receive new agricultural equipment as part of a general push in the sector in the Bahamas, especially in Abaco and Andros.
“It demonstrates my ministry’s commitment to repositioning agriculture in this global climate, as a sustainable source of food security,” Cartwright said.
Payment to farmers in the 2010/2011 year totaled just under $2 million, Cartwright said, of which Long Island received $111,893.