Over the past couple
decades successive Agriculture Ministers have either imposed or threatened bans
on food imports as a way of supporting Bahamian farmers. The unintended consequences
of such actions were higher prices for what consumers believe are inferior
products.

The Banana market of 1996
is a prime example of unintended consequences - for both producers and
consumers

. In a short period of time
after government imposed a ban preventing imports to "help" the local banana
growers, the foreign bananas were available from road side vendors at higher
prices

. Consumers still preferred the
large yellow imports to the variety...