VIDEO: Investor Identified to pump US$2 Million into Christian Valley Eco-Park

The government has identified a private investor for a proposed eco-park at Christian Valley, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Saturday, as he outlined expanded investments aimed at boosting agricultural production and reducing food insecurity.

Speaking on Pointe FM’s Browne and Browne programme, Browne said an investor has already committed initial financing for the eco-park. “We have a particular investor who has agreed to capitalize the company with the first two million U.S. dollars,” he said, adding that the government will also contribute land and additional funding.

Browne stressed that the project is not a housing development, saying, “I don’t want anybody to think that we’re going to Christian Valley to rip up the place and to have a lot of homes.”

The announcement came as Browne provided updates on new investments in agriculture, including the acquisition of heavy equipment to support farmers. He said the government recently purchased “two 20-ton trucks and an excavator,” and that additional machinery is already en route, including “a bulldozer, a track loader, a backhoe, another excavator,” all dedicated to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The equipment, he said, will be used to help farmers build dams and ponds, improve feeder roads and expand production. As part of climate-adaptation measures, Browne said solar lighting will also be installed to allow night farming, noting that this is necessary “recognizing the issue with heat waves as a consequence of climate change.”

Browne also confirmed that two abattoirs have been ordered, with equipment already shipped. “The equipment for the abattoirs has been shipped,” he said, adding that within “the next 12 to 18 months, we should see a significant increase in agricultural production.”

He said the combined initiatives are aimed at strengthening local food supply and reducing dependence on imports. “We’re trying to become less food insecure,” Browne said, acknowledging that full food security may be difficult but that the government is making deliberate efforts to scale up production.

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