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Campbell says Govt stepping up efforts to return US trade tariffs to 10 percent BY FAY SIMMONS TRIBUNE Business Reporter jsimmons@tribuneemedia.net AGRICULTURE and Marine Resources Minister Jomo Campbell said The Bahamas is stepping up negotiations with the United States to reduce its new 12.5 percent tariff, with the government is hoping to get the country back to the 10 percent rate that applied before July 24. Speaking to reporters, Mr Campbell said there has been “a lot of back and forth” on the issue, with more than 2,100 meetings being held involving more than 60 countries affected by the US tariff measures.
US tariff puts seafood exports under pressure
Bahamas seeks lower burden on exporters
“The Bahamas isn't affected by this alone,” Mr Campbell said yesterday, pointing to ongoing efforts by Minister of Economic Affairs Jerome Fitzgerald, Minister for Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell and Prime Minister Philip Davis KC. He said Mr Davis has previously held meetings with US ambassador Herschel Walker on the matter, while the government has also announced meetings with members of the fishing community. Mr Campbell said the government is also hoping
to meet with the US ambassador again, subject to his schedule, to present The Bahamas' position on the way forward. “We will also be seeking a meeting with him in order to send our projected platform as to the way forward to get us back, hopefully, to the 10 percent that we were prior to 24th of July,” he said. The 12.5 percent tariff took effect on July 24, with the Davis administration previously seeking an exemption for Bahamian crawfish and stone crab
Farmers to grow what buyers need exports as the country prepared for the opening of the crawfish season. The government had also been seeking to address the US position that led to The Bahamas receiving the higher tariff rate, after Washington cited concerns over the country's prohibition and enforcement of a ban on imports produced using forced labour. Mr Campbell said the Bahamas is not alone in dealing with the US measures, noting that more than 60 countries are involved in the wider discussions.
His comments indicate that the government has not yet secured a reduction or exemption, with diplomatic and trade discussions continuing as officials work to establish the terms for a lower tariff burden on Bahamian exports. The issue is particularly significant for the fisheries sector, with the United States serving as a major market for Bahamian seafood exports and crawfish and stone crab among the products the government has specifically sought to exempt from the new tariff.
Malicious prosecution claim against Colina dismissed
Bahamian agriculture to get $13M investment to strengthen industry
BY FAY SIMMONS TRIBUNE BUSINESS REPORTER jsimmons@tribuneemedia.net
THE DAVIS administration is putting up to $13m behind a new push to turn Bahamian agriculture into a more predictable, commercially driven industry, with farmers to be matched to market demand and supported by new production, storage and transportation infrastructure. Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Jomo Campbell said the initiative marks “another important step” in the mission to strengthen Bahamian agriculture and advance national food security. “This framework is set to help farmers align production with real market demand, reduce seasonal surpluses and shortages, while creating more consistent opportunity for Bahamian produce to reach wholesalers, retailers, hotels, and local consumers,” said Mr Campbell. The three-year initial startup phase outlined in the National Crop Scheduling Roadmap 2025-2030 carries estimated capital costs of $6.45m to $10.4m, while operating costs are projected at another $1.95m to $2.75m. The programme is being rolled out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources alongside the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC), the Department of Agriculture and BAMSI, with technical teams engaging farmers across Abaco, North Andros, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera and Cat Island. The roadmap's capital spending includes $2.5m to $4m for protected agriculture systems, covering approximately 20 acres of shade houses and 10 acres of mid-tech greenhouses across priority
THE SUPREME Court has dismissed a $267,000 malicious prosecution claim against Colina Insurance, finding that the insurer did not initiate or conduct the crimSIR IAN WINDER inal case against a former agent and that there was no evidence it acted maliciously. Chief Justice Sir Ian Winder found that the Insurance Commission, rather than Colina, initiated the referral that ultimately led to the former agent being charged, while the Royal Bahamas Police Force independently investigated and decided to prosecute. The ruling arose from a claim by former Colina insurance agent Edith Albury, who sought $267,250.80 in damages, punitive damages and other relief over criminal proceedings that began in 2018 and ended with her acquittal in May 2023. Ms Albury claimed Colina had maliciously reported and prosecuted her, resulting in the non-renewal of her insurance agent's licence and preventing her from continuing in a profession she had worked in since 1985. However, Sir Ian found that Colina's involvement was limited to its internal investigation, regulatory reporting and cooperation with the police investigation. “The Court is satisfied that the Commission, not Colina, initiated the referral to law enforcement,” the Chief Justice said. The judgment found that Colina had conducted internal investigations after receiving complaints from policyholders alleging that premiums collected by Ms Albury had not been recorded in the company's system. Colina subsequently reported its findings to the Insurance Commission. That report, the court found, was made pursuant to Colina's regulatory obligations and was not a criminal complaint directed to police. The Insurance Commission subsequently referred the matter to the Royal Bahamas Police Force in May 2017, requesting a police review and asking whether criminal charges should be instituted. “The Court finds that the police conducted an independent investigation,” said the Chief Justice, noting that police obtained statements from policyholders, interviewed Colina's representative and Ms Albury, and exercised their own discretion in determining whether charges should be laid. “The prosecution was conducted by the State, not by Colina,” he said.
COURT - See Page B2
BY FAY SIMMONS TRIBUNE Business Reporter jsimmons@tribuneemedia.net
‘Another important step’ to advance national food security, says Campbell islands for off-season production and climate resilience. Another $1m to $1.5m is earmarked for drip irrigation covering approximately 750 acres, while $1.5m to $2.5m is projected for the upgrade of three to four existing packing houses into agro-logistics centres. The plan also includes $750,000 to $1.25m for a farm machinery pool, with tractors, spaders, planters and other equipment to be managed as a service to improve farm preparation and production efficiency while reducing individual farmers' capital outlay. A further $250,000 to $400,000 is projected for onion curing facilities, while $300,000 to $500,000 is earmarked as seed funding for a lease-to-own programme involving 10 to 15 refrigerated containers to establish inter-island coldchain logistics. The roadmap also provides $150,000 to $250,000 for digital platform development. BAIC Assistant General Manager for Agricultural Marketing and Logistics John Burrows said the crop schedule is a demand-based programme developed after meetings with market stakeholders to identify the crops they are interested in purchasing from farmers. “It will bring stability to agriculture to farmers. They are not only the produce that they produce, but the revenues as
AGRICULTURE - See Page B2
School’s last-minute uniform change costly for retailers BY ANNELIA NIXON TRIBUNE BUSINESS REPORTER anixon@tribunemedia.net UNIFORM retailers are reporting steady back-to-school sales under the Government’s VAT-free holiday, but Careys Fabric and Uniform Store says a last-minute uniform change at one school could cost the business thousands of dollars in unsellable inventory. Kim Gibson, managing director of Careys Fabric and Uniform Store, said business has been strong as parents take advantage of the Back-to-School VAT Holiday, which runs from August 8 through September 5. For uniform retailers, however, the timing of the VAT holiday has been overshadowed by concerns over school uniform changes. Ms Gibson said Careys has been particularly affected by changes at L.W. Young Junior High School, where suppliers were informed
on July 17 that certain uniform requirements had changed. “That was a huge inconvenience,” she said. “We, the stores, the suppliers, found out about it July 17 by way of Facebook. And we had already ordered uniforms for that particular school.” According to Ms Gibson, the school introduced new dry-fit shirts for Grades Eight and Nine that were only available through the school, while Grade Seven students were permitted to continue wearing the previous uniform. She said the change left retailers with inventory they had purchased months in advance and could not easily sell elsewhere. “We are experiencing a great loss with that school,” Ms Gibson said. “We stand to lose thousands and thousands of dollars as well because we order from October of the previous year.” She described the decision to change the uniforms without
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Minister Jomo Campbell
No relief at the pumps warning as gasoline prices continue to climb BY ANNELIA NIXON TRIBUNE BUSINESS REPORTER anixon@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIANS are unlikely to see significant relief at the pumps in the immediate future, with gasoline prices continuing to climb and some service stations now selling fuel for more than $7 a gallon. Roker’s Gas Station owner Peter Roker said the elevated prices could become a longer-term reality for motorists, arguing that global market pressures and ongoing conflicts are likely to keep fuel prices above the levels Bahamians were accustomed to paying. “I believe in the final analysis, gasoline is going to end up being maybe overall $1 more than we were used to before, or 50 cents more,” Mr Roker said. “But don’t forget, five cents more when you’re selling billions of billions of gallons is a lot.” Gasoline and diesel prices on Tuesday were reported to be in the mid-to-high $6 range, with some retailers pushing beyond the $7 mark. Mr Roker said the price of gasoline before the recent increases was roughly $4 to $5 per gallon, although he noted that prices were once significantly lower. “I think it was four something to $5,” he said. “But still, that’s a lot of money. That’s
FUEL - See Page B3