Meeting Date: September 24, 2009
Location: Finn Damtoft Agricultural Library

Strategic Priority: Youth in Agriculture

Objective: Network all agriculture stakeholders working with the youth of the nation- to encourage Agriculture.

Special Comments & Notations:
1. Comments from the Think Tank will be posted to the blog.
2. Encourage Careers in Agriculture
Follow Up Meeting Date &Time: October 22, 2009/4-5pm
Location: Finn Damtoft Agricultural Library

Meeting Minutes Attached
Plan Of Action: A Think Tank every last Thursday a month to discuss one topic

Meeting Notes:

The meeting was started with a welcome, prayer (by Anthony Plakaris).

LaMonica Glinton – BAIC Agriculture Manager for Marketing
* “Buy Fresh, Buy Bahamian” campaign – developing this program
* Similar to the USDA “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” campaign
* Service is available to all local producers and will be launched in a press conference
* Logo: available to registered farmers
* Guarantee you are producing local
* Radio ads/TV
* Launching in November to catch the local production season
* Logo available in various sizes
* “Produce of the Bahamas” boxes in the making

Rionda Godet
* Is it available for bottled products?

LaMonica Glinton
* No – because it is not a fresh product
* There is another project “Buy Bahamian”, now done by Carter Marketing, that bottled products can be done under. Super Value is the forerunner for this program and has a month dedicated to it.

Anthony Plakaris
* What is there to safeguard people putting imports into the boxes?

LaMonica Glinton
* That producer will lose their privileges with the program.

George Maillis
* Will there be provided a consolidation point to sell produce or do the marketing?

LaMonica Glinton
* Identifying the produce as locally grown/Super Value is selling local produce now without proper labeling.

George Maillis
* Need better coordination with the Farmer’s Markets.

LaMonica Glinton - NPCC Farmer’s Market has no farmers at the market
Have been buying produce from the Family Islands and selling
There was one farmer who was there before for one hour
The table spaces are being sold for $10
We welcome farmers and variety
Customers want interaction with the farmers

George Maillis
* Is the Farmer’s Market well attended? Things get sold?

Rionda Godet
* Season as an issue, had a competitor in Lucayan Tropical.

LaMonica Glinton
* Encourage persons to grow specialty crops – Lucayan Tropical has a steady produce e.g. green peppers vs. coloured peppers / geared towards the farmer’s market.

Paulette Ingraham
* If you came at 9:30am to the Farmer’s Market all the produce is gone. (Gave an example).

LaMonica Glinton
* There are 700 persons on the mailing list and 400 on the NPCC mailing list – persons also share the emails/there are new clients out all the time.

Anthony Plakaris
* Need to bring agriculture to the point to compete with tourism
* 60% of the population between the ages of 14 – 35 years (some are unemployed)
* Write a paper plan and track a future
* Build relationships
* Talk and networking and nothing happens
* Need to start documenting e.g. document the goat pepper as a Bahamian variety of pepper
* Need a national agenda
* We need to make noise
* There is a proper way of doing things – document
* Proper statistics – we need the truth/data collection
* Looking at the dollar factor

George Maillis
* That is a gap identified – registered farmers should report their data. With each annual renewal, the fee should be paid and the data reported
* Who’s in charge? Find a way to get farmers to report.

Godfrey Eneas
* The Ministry of Agriculture is non-functioning – there is no extension staff in New Providence or the Family Islands.
* Produce Exchange depended on for information/operating in a vacuum.

George Maillis
* Why are they non-functioning?

Godfrey Eneas
* They are not organized. Agriculture is dying in this country.
* Leslie Minns in 1978 had a list of farmers that has declined. People are hoarding land because there is no timeframe to develop leased land – no follow-up and needs farm inspection in Ministry of Agriculture.

Anthony Plakaris
* We know this already – what will be put in place to move forward?

Godfrey Eneas
* The Barbados Agriculture Society is now responsible for extension work for example, who is the same as BAPA. Get out of the Government doing extension work.

Rionda Godet
* Need BAPA to get up and get running.

LaMonica Glinton
* Trying to encourage MEMBERSHIP. There is an old face on a new organization – can BAPA represent me? It is not working e.g. Jamaica Agriculture Producers.

Godfrey Eneas
* How can you vote if you are not a member? Preconceived ideas – defeatist attitude.

Paulette Ingraham
* Mr. Stubbs has been at the head for seven years. The AGM is coming up to reinvigorate the association – members need to take a stand.

Rionda Godet
* Will run for board of Director and need your support.

Daphne deGregory W
* We do buy Bahamian everything at Abaco Neem. All products have made in the Bahamas on it – we are a walking advertisement.
* Should we join the local co-op or join BAPA? Co-op does not have proper accounting ($700 to join).

Godfrey Eneas
* Annual audit done by the Department of Co-operatives, the Ministry is not doing what they are supposed to do.

LaMonica Glinton
* On-going nepotism – lack of accounting.

Daphne deGregory
* China coming to open a large farm – what is being done? You guys have the ear of the government – will they be required to use local farmers?

Paulette Ingraham
* BAIC regrouping co-operatives to get them back on track to represent on the BAPA board.

George Maillis
* Foreign investors, will they be included in the Buy Bahamian campaign?

Astrid Cleare
* The Bahamas has an export policy for produce grown here by foreign companies (to protect the local market).

Godfrey Eneas
* Don’t know if this policy is still the case.

George Maillis
* What about a buyback program once the foreign company gets the industry back up and running?

Godfrey Eneas
* This has happened before e.g. Sugar Bowl (bought back when the bail prices of sugar dropped)/this example is also in my book.

LaMonica Glinton
* e.g. Star in Abaco shipped to Florida, packaged the produce and shipped it back to the Bahamas.

Daphne deGregory
* Packing house that will package the produce to sell to the stores. China should also have to use local farmers.

Godfrey Eneas
* Bahamian labor is expensive, will use Haitian labor.

Daphne deGregory
* No, Chinese labor because Haitian labor will be too expensive (address this issue).

Anthony Plakaris
* Accountability
* National agenda
* BAPA marketing strategy
* Encourage people to become members – no more cover up
* How many ways are there to get rich? There is too much greed – cannot sweep under the rug
* Use the Think Tank to develop new ideas and put them on paper. Join an organization to make change – we are in.

Daphne deGregory
* Help each other – must have to help each other to develop.
* BAIC – give land with no information or help/plan
* Tourists – can’t get local fruit, hotels are importing
* We need to set people up for success
* Rotate different crops of what grows when and balance the demand/collaborate efforts

George Maillis
* de Gregory and Plakaris are talking at the two extreme ends
* Coordinate between the farmers
* Kick off at the root source must come from the bottom up and use resources to properly market with good prices
* Helping each other /not waiting for the government to start anything

Daphne deGregory
* China is the most polluted country – protect the water table.

Godfrey Eneas
* BAPA is a conduit for change - politician will listen to 500 farmers.

LaMonica Glinton
* Join BAPA? Show how we are moving forward – show a plan.

** Intense discussion about BAPA ensues**

Paulette Ingraham
* Change the government from the outside.
* BAPA was formed with Mr. Stubbs’s own money.

Daphne deGregory –
* Etienne is the new president of the Abaco Co-operative.
* There is an empty gassing building (for produce) that can be used as a packing house.

LaMonica Glinton
* Invitation to the NPCC Farmer’s Market Sweet Potato Festival this Saturday (September 26).

Godfrey Eneas
* JCN – invitation to come on JCN TV and talk about these issues.