fp Turks and Caicos

Nicky Turner came to the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1979 as the country’s agricultural officer to help local farmers increase their production to feed and provide jobs in the then sparsely populated country.

There were about 600 people on Providenciales when he spent five years on North Caicos trying to get agriculture growing. Not many people seemed interested in taking it up.

“Twenty-five years later, here I am again,” he told the Providenciales Chamber of Commerce at its Aug. 8 meeting. His outlook today is much more positive — in fact, he’s downright enthusiastic.

“Agriculture is my passion,” he said. “I’m doing this because I love it.”

“The potential is astounding. What we need is to get people to do it, and to do it more efficiently.”

Turner says much of the country has excellent soil and a good supply of fresh water to support productive farms.

The interim government believes that farming can provide a major economic and employment boost to the country that imports $10 million worth of food each year while it farms only about 100 acres. Turner says the output is “pretty pathetic.”

Until now, the government farm on North Caicos has been producing small amounts of various crops and making little money. Turner wants to turn it into a research center to develop resources to help farmers.

Such a place could experiment to find the best types of produce to grow and provide low-cost seedlings to farmers to put into production.

Since his appointment as director of agriculture in March, he said he has begun assembling a small staff of professionals to help farmers improve their productivity and sales, and to encourage others to take advantage of the great untapped potential for agriculture here.

But in addition to education and technical support, government must also make it possible for “intelligent, dynamic Turks and Caicos Islanders” to get into farming by making available Crown land and providing a source of loans for startup and expansion.

Government also needs to give farmers a break when it can, like reducing or eliminating the recent increases in business license fees for farming.

Turner, who has degrees in agricultural engineering and agricultural extension and rural development, also knows the TCI, its few dedicated farmers and the problems facing them.

If local farmers can produce a regular supply of quality vegetables, fruits, poultry and pork, markets such as hotels and resorts are very interested, he said. But it has to be a regular supply that can be delivered regularly and timely to customers, which can be complicated by interisland transportation, Turner said.

He also wants a government inspection program to ensure the safety and quality of poultry and pork.

He sees a future with many small farms that produce a steady source of locally grown products that are organic and natural that can command a higher price that people will pay.

“We can grow tons of stuff here and make us independent,” he said.