A ceremony was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources on Friday to mark the opening of the New Providence Cultivation Center at the Gladstone Road Agricultural Compound.

Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, the Hon. Jomo Campbell told reporters the centre will strengthen food security and food sustainability. He said, “we want to make sure we don’t waste any of our produce. Our natural agricultural produce that comes into farmer’s market and comes from the farms. So we want to give farmers and agri-processors the ability bring The Bahamas to where it once was where we did our own tomato paste, we did our own jams, we did our own juices. And we want to make sure that we expand the capabilities so that nothing is left untouched and untapped.”

Pointing to some of the stations set up at the opening the agriculture minister said, “as you see before you we now have locally produced wines. We’ll have locally produced tomato paste. We have the ability now to be grinding our own corn and making our own grits. And so the future of agriculture is bright in The Bahamas.”

According to Campbell the facility is mainly for farmers but all are welcomed. “What we aim to do is ensure that persons in the northern islands have a facility for themselves as well as those in the southern islands. Earlier this week we were in Grand Bahama where we rededicated the animal control unit and the public markets. The team was recently in MICAL. We were also in Exuma. We were also in Eleuthera. Our cultivation center in Eleuthera is about 95 to 98 percent complete. We were also in Cat Island doing the very same things as well as Andros. And so we want to expand the agricultural opportunity throughout every single island in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” he said.

Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs, the Hon. Clay Sweeting was also at the ceremony. He told attendees the centre provides a platform for young farmers and food processors to display their wares. He said, “by the end of the day food security is not optional it is essential. That is why we have seen under the leadership of the current minister of agriculture and marine resources to take this bold initiative and to make is something of a larger vision and that’s what teamwork is all about.”

The building was officially dedicated by Bahamas Christian Council President, Pastor Mario Moxey.