Agriculture in Abaco
By Alice Bain - The Abaconian issue of April 1, 2002

Abaco,s agricultural sector continues to show slow growth. The citrus growers are, by all accounts, having an average year. Jim Gilbert of the Bahama Star Farms reports a good crop and a steady market for fruit in the U.S. Bahama Star grows lemons and oranges but most of their crop is in ruby red grapefruit. In that type of fruit alone last year they shipped 45 million pounds to the U.S. and European markets.

Abaco has several advantages over U.S. citrus farms; our soil is porous and therefore less likely to harbor harmful fungi, we do not have the citrus canker that has been troubling the Floridian groves, and Abaco is not subject to frosts during the winter.

The trees here do not go dormant like they do in the U.S."they keep growing and putting out new leaves year round. Randy Key also grows citrus locally at Bahama Palm Groves and reports a decent crop and a fair market price for his product.

Bahama Palm Groves grows lemons, limes, tangerines, tangelos, red grapefruit and oranges and sells its produce primarily on the local market.

Pinewoods Nursery recently closed its fruit and vegetable retail operation, but the packing plant is still supplying citrus to the public on a wholesale basis in quantities down to a quarter case. Mr. Key also reports that Bahama Palm Groves plans to continue its line of fresh juices from its fruit, and to expect to see that product returning to local grocery stores soon.

Ben Harmon is reclaiming a citrus grove that was operated last during the 1980,s"and has lain fallow long enough that the fruit from the trees can now be classed officially as "organic produce.

Mr. Harmon has been using fish emulsion, seaweed and chicken manure to fertilize the trees instead of chemical fertilizers and explains that in the years that the grove was uncultivated, a natural balance of insects has developed that keep most pests under control. Organic produce commands a higher price than conventionally grown fruit. Mr. Harmon harvested 32,000 boxes of fruit last season and shipped it all to the United States. He estimates that the farm could be in full production within four years and at that point could be producing up to 6,700,000 boxes of fruit a year!

Mel Wells of Pepperpot Farms says that the banana fields are still recovering from the bruising they sustained late last year courtesy of Hurricane Michelle. The storm did a lot of damage, but the new plantings that Mr. Wells got in the ground just prior to the storm survived and are now growing nicely towards a new harvest this summer. Pepperpot Farms is also growing tomatoes and cucumbers for the local market, and several acres of onions.

Sawyer,s Farms grows 70 acres a year of tomatoes, cabbages and bell peppers and reports an average year. Most of its produce goes to Nassau, but some is available on the local market as well.

Ricky Albury is also experimenting with potatoes on some of his land this year in a partnership with some American growers in Michigan. He has planted 50 acres of redskin and baking potatoes and will see how the plants do during the next three months before harvest. Mr. Albury also grows cucumbers, bananas, cantaloupe melons and some of the tastiest watermelons on the island. He is the only farmer of wild hogs in the Bahamas.