Facility aims to strengthen food security and expand local farming industry
Farmers are another step closer to reaping the benefits of a much-needed crop storage facility.
Plans were first proposed in 2022 to replace the ageing Agricultural Services Centre on Schools Drive in Devonshire, which the Government has deemed unfit due to an asbestos roof and failing cold storage rooms.
This week, Minister Roban confirmed that Brunel Engineering Consultants Ltd has provided designs for the new build, and the necessary permits have been secured.
The project, aimed at bolstering food security and supporting Bermuda’s farming industry, is now estimated to cost $14.5 million – $1 million more than last year’s estimate owing to inflation. If the Ministry’s funding request is approved in the 2025/26 budget, construction is expected to take two years.
“This is something that the farming community has been advocating for,” said Minister Roban. “I have from the very inception supported its redevelopment, not only because it is necessary, but because it allows the Government to lead by example—showing how a commercial structure can be environmentally sustainable.”
The 15,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, to be built adjacent to the current one, will include cold storage, a hydrocool room, and expanded dry storage for essential farming supplies. It will be powered by renewable energy with a backup generator.
Once constructed, Minister Roban assured that the relevant ministry would ensure ongoing maintenance and uphold the centre as a first-class facility.
“They have been working in some challenging conditions and still have been a complement to the agricultural community,” he said. “I do not doubt that the team in the future will do the same—at an even higher level with even better resources.”
Minister Roban highlighted that only half of Bermuda’s available farmland is currently in use and that the new facility could help expand agricultural activity.
“If there are greater resources available, farmers can confidently expand their operations, employ more people, make more investments, and grow the farming contribution to the economy,” he said.
Underscoring the need for the upgrade, Minister Roban highlighted Bermuda’s vulnerability to food supply shocks and the existing facility’s risk of hurricane-related damage.
He added that improved storage capacity could extend embargo periods, allowing local crops to stay on the market longer and reducing reliance on imports.
“Many crops, if left to natural conditions, will deteriorate because they are perishable,” Roban explained. “This facility will allow us to sustain their life and make them available to the marketplace without having to rely on imports. And then we can keep an embargo lasting longer if we know there’s a sustainable supply on the island – which is what helps our farmers.”
