Details of vertical farm proposal still under discussion
Seeds for a vertical farming project are still being planted by the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation in collaboration with a Dutch company, the two organisations have confirmed.
The BEDC said in 2024 that plans to develop vertical farming were on track with Amsterdam-based firm Growy, which assumed overseas operations from original partner, Florida-based Kalera.
However, island farmers questioned the viability of such a project last year and, as of autumn, the Board of Agriculture remained unconvinced.
Identical statements from BEDC and Growy — received last week after requests for an update — said that discussions about the project continued.
The organisations replied: “As this would be a first-of-its-kind project for the island and is being structured as a joint venture, it is progressing through a number of necessary approval, planning and financing processes.
“At this stage, the project parameters remain consistent with what was shared publicly during the Board of Agriculture meeting in April, 2025.
“The proposed farm would focus primarily on the local production of salads, alongside a smaller share of herbs and microgreens.
“When realised, the project is expected to meaningfully reduce Bermuda’s reliance on imported leafy greens.
“Given that several elements, particularly around financing and final approvals, are still being finalised, it would be premature to provide definitive timelines at this moment.
“Once these conditions are secured, we will be in a much stronger position to share more concrete updates.”
The statements added that BEDC and Growy were committed to continued dialogue with farmers and stakeholders, including exploring opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
While the BEDC said in May 2025 that due diligence had been carried out on the proposal, minutes of the Board of Agriculture’s meetings from last year — released to The Royal Gazette in response to a public access to information request — suggested questions remained about the viability of the project and its impact on farmers.
The board’s August 2025 meeting minutes noted that Geoff Smith, the director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said he had reviewed all the reports and sent a memo to the permanent secretary with feedback.
The record stated: “The director noted that he was concerned that not enough studies appeared to have been done for decisions that they proposed.
“The current reports focused on the previous company and that this was different from Growy with different yields, area, et cetera.
“He had suggested another study be done with Growy-specific data. He also noted a concern with the customs tariff data not taking into account the growing seasonality.
“He also suggested an additional study on the competition impacts on existing farmers. He also noted that he made responses on the proposed memorandum of understanding to the permanent secretary.”
The minutes added that Dr Smith said that he could not confirm support based on the data presented, stating that more studies needed to be done and he could not confirm that the scheme would not put other farmers out of business.
In a meeting held in October 2025, Dr Smith said that his memo had been reviewed by the PS and sent to BEDC, but board members continued to note concerns that “due diligence” did not seem to have been carried out.
The board met again in December, but the minutes of that meeting had yet to be approved by the time the records were released to the Gazette.
The Government unveiled plans for a single vertical farm in 2020 but the proposals were put on hold after the overseas-based parent company of the business behind the project reported massive losses.
Florida-based Kalera had set up a Bermudian subsidiary — but plans stalled after the parent company reported massive losses.
It was later announced that Growy took over Kalera’s overseas operations and, after meeting with the BEDC in 2023, reconfirmed “strong interest” in moving forward with the project.
However, last year the BFA said the venture would be “unsuitable for Bermuda’s agricultural goals and food security strategy”.
The BEDC said in May 2025 that due diligence had been carried out on the programme to ensure that the project would be worthwhile.
However, minutes from meetings of the Board of Agriculture’s June 2025 meeting stated that the DENR was not supportive of the proposal at the time because the business case had not been made specifically in regard to Growy.
The minutes said: “Concerns were noted by the farmers association related to disruption of local produce, being uneconomic and using taxpayers money.
“The director noted that he had not seen anything yet to be supportive of the proposal and he had advised the permanent secretary similarly.
“It was reported that the Bermuda Farmers Association wanted the board to know that they had a lawyer who will put an injunction against them but that this was not their preferred action.”
In a meeting held in August, members of the board questioned if they should vote on whether the body supported the BEDC proposal to invest in Growy.
The minutes continued: “There was more discussion on whether to vote on supporting the BEDC proposal to invest in the Growy vertical farm initiative as presented to the board at this date.
“There was discussion about the opportunity this presented to advocate for the specifics of what support farmers need.
“There was brief discussion regarding the agriculture strategy and how it related to this proposal and that things that are not a priority should be removed.”
The farmers association was invited to comment for this article but none was received by the time of publication.
• To see the meeting minutes, see Related Media
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