Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the government will assist farmers in building dams and ponds to address water constraints that continue to limit agricultural production.

Speaking on the Browne and Browne Show on Pointe FM on Saturday, Browne said farmers should not depend on pipe-borne water and stressed that water storage must be built into any serious farming operation. “What they need to do, wherever they’re going to farm, is make sure there’s some kind of tributary that can take water into a pond, and the government will help them to develop the pond or dam,” he said.

Browne said the government now has heavy equipment available and expects additional machinery from China within weeks, which will be used to expand support to farmers. “Agriculture has equipment now. They have excavators, and they have additional equipment coming from China that should be here within 60 days, and they’ll be able to help farmers to build their ponds or their dams,” he said.

He pointed to work already done at Sanderson’s as an example of the impact of proper water infrastructure, saying, “That dam, I’m told, actually holds over three million gallons of water,” and added that similar assistance will be extended to other farming areas.

The prime minister said the initiative forms part of a wider push to strengthen food security and reduce reliance on imported food, particularly as rising temperatures and climate pressures increase stress on local agriculture.

He also said the government will continue improving feeder roads to farms, provide solar lighting to allow night work, and maintain duty-free and tax-free concessions on farming equipment and agricultural inputs.

Browne urged those with capital to invest in agriculture, either directly or by partnering with existing farms, saying broader participation is needed to build a more resilient farming sector.