Bryan, FreshMinistries break ground for aquaponics center on St. Croix

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and FreshMinistries founder and Chief Executive Officer the Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee III held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 26, 2020, for an agribusiness center in Estate Bethlehem on St. Croix focused on aquaponics farming and entrepreneurship.

The project marked the launch of FreshMinistries' "Desmond Tutu Program to End Global Hunger," according to Government House. FreshMinistries said it received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to build the center.

FreshMinistries, working with Farmers in Action on land leased from the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture, said the center would house its FEED program, which would offer hands-on training and classroom instruction for people interested in owning, managing or working in aquaponics.

According to the announcement, the project was planned to include three 6,000-square-foot greenhouses, three 3,000-square-foot greenhouses, a processing center with refrigeration units, storage, sinks and work tables, office and classroom space, and acreage for program graduates and cooperative partners to manage farming systems.

Representatives of the Economic Development Administration, the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture and the Virgin Islands Department of Labor attended the ceremony. Sen. Allison DeGazon, chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Regulations, and Agriculture, also gave remarks.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-hosts-ground-breaking-ceremony-for-freshministries-aquaponics-center-on-st-croix/