While no specifics have been revealed about the level of investment U.S.-based food distributor Sysco will make into local farming, the head of the Bahamas Agricultural Producers Association (BAPA) believes marketing assistance could create a domino effect that would eventually lower the food import bill. Keith Campbell told Guardian Business that Sysco - which purchased Bahamas Food Services (BFS) for an unknown sum last month - could greatly help local producers if it went the marketing route and give farmers a bigger platform to distribute their goods.
"Marketing has always been the bottleneck for farmers," Campbell said. "I am not at the negotiating table and I have no idea what they plan to do, but I believe that Sysco has the ability to assist the situation and I feel that they can open the door from a marketing point of view, which would be some good news for Bahamian farmers." As part of Sysco's acquisition of BFS, the government required that a substantial investment be made in agriculture and fisheries. Additionally, a number of "protective measures" were put in place to ensure Bahamians aren't put at a disadvantage.
While no news has surfaced yet about what measures will be taken, Campbell said it's clear which areas need assistance in the sector. "The Bahamian production capacity surpasses the government's ability to accommodate it," he said. "With Sysco being an international company with global reach it can provide an outlet for our fruits, spices and organic foods from a trading perspective." Campbell added that if such initiatives happen to be part of Sysco's plans, this could ultimately lead to a lower food import bill.
Having a company that has the capacity and resources for sustainable growth would be a blessing according to the BAPA chief, but until the smoke clears there is nothing to do but speculate. "Nobody knows what will be the end result, but if farmers can increase their output that means we wouldn't have to heavily rely on importing foods that can be produced here," Campbell said.
"Gaining that access will enable farmers to take more of a business approach to farming and in the end it will positive impact on the gross domestic product. "But on the other hand, hopefully we don't have a situation where foreigners are coming in, setting up their operations on the land and just hiring local farmers to perform the labor. But we will have to see when the time comes." Sysco is one of the largest corporations in the United States, recording over $39 billion in revenue in 2011.
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