For the last few weeks, persons working in the Agricultural Community have been voicing their concerns over the Free Trade of the Americas treaty as they wonder what impact the FTAA would have on their businesses.
However, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon. V. Alfred Gray, assured the farmers that if they labour hard enough and are willing to produce to a standard that could stand competition, then they should have nothing to worry about.
There are two key points that should be pulled out of that statement by the Minister. Firstly, the Bahamian farmers have to work hard and secondly, they have to produce quality crops up to a world standard if they wish to be competitive.
What the Minister is correctly saying is that farmers should not expect, because they are Bahamians, that their produce will be easily accepted and competitive on the Bahamian market unless some real changes occur in the agricultural community.
And another factor that can be added is in order to contend with global producers, Bahamians will have to sell their produce at reasonable prices to consumers.
Farmers have until 2005 to get their businesses up to standard. As it has been stated by persons on numerous occasions, it maybe best for the farmers to form cooperatives with each farmer producing one or two quality crops in order to make themselves strong contenders.
However, while the farmers might be a bit unsure, the FTAA will allow Bahamians to get the best quality products at economical prices. That is just one of the benefits that the FTAA can provide.
Moreover, it is also possible for those in the agricultural industry to gain more profits if their produce is good enough to be sold out of the country.
Besides, the newspapers and other media consistently informing the public on FTAA issues, there are many forums and experts explaining what the FTAA will entail for Bahamians.
And according to Minister Gray a task force is presently being appointed to educate the Bahamian public for the next year or two on the effects of the FTAA and the World Trade Organization (WTO) to make the public more comfortable with the country's joining of those two treaties.
It is important that people take the time to read and listen for themselves to find out what the FTAA will mean for them as individuals and for the country as a whole, because The Bahamas would stand alone if it did not join the FTAA. As a result, persons need to be prepared for that eventuality.
