Parks Department To Run Agricultural Exhibition

The AG Show Ltd Committee announced that “the Department of Parks will run and be solely responsible” for this year’s Ag Show, and the Government confirmed that the “Ministry has set aside a budget of $100,000 to put on the event” and “this year, from 27 April to 29 April, the public can expect the show to be at 75 to 80 percent of the level of a typical full-scale Ag Show, which we plan to put on next year.”

AG Show Committee Statement

A spokesperson said, “The AG Show Ltd Committee announces that the Department of Parks will run and be solely responsible for this year’s Agricultural Exhibition.

“Since 2016, the AG Show Ltd. committee has been dedicated to preserving the history of the exhibition, increasing financial awards to schools, and providing the community with an event to highlight Bermuda’s rich agricultural history. The committee remains committed to Bermuda agriculture and wishes the Parks Department the best.”

“The AG Show Committee is proud of the work done and accomplishments since 2016:

• Between 2016-2019, over 227 thousand dollars in donations were raised for numerous charities.

• Between 2016-2021, the committee awarded over 70 thousand dollars in prizes to schools ranging from nursery to senior schools.

• In 2018 & 2019, for the first time in the 80-year history of the annual Exhibition, seniors and school-aged children were allowed free access over the three-day event – thanks to the generosity of AXIS and HSBC Bermuda.

“The AG Show Ltd. Committee would like to thank all our partners through the years, with a special thanks to our lead sponsors AXIS, and major sponsors HSBC Bermuda, Lindos, NTB, The Green Family, Butterfield & Vallis, and Gorham’s Ltd.

“We could not have done this without hundreds of volunteers giving freely of their time, we thank them for all their hard work. The committee appreciates the continued support and thanks Bermuda for giving us the opportunity to serve.”

Minister of Public Works Lt/Col David Burch Statement

“While ideally, we would have preferred more time to take over responsibility for the iconic event, we nevertheless understand AG Show Limited’s rationale for deciding not to host it this year,” said Minister of Public Works, Lt. Col. David Burch, on the Government resuming management of the annual AG Show.

“I want to thank them for their service to Bermuda,” he added. Following discussions with the board of directors of AG Show Limited, who informed the Ministry that they would not be able to host this year’s AG Show, the Department of Parks decided to assume responsibility for showcasing the event.

The Minister further stated: “I want to stress that we are gradually bringing back the show and are not planning a full-scale event this year.

“This year, from 27 April to 29 April, the public can expect the show to be at 75 to 80 percent of the level of a typical full-scale Ag Show, which we plan to put on next year.”

A Government spokesperson noted, “The public will recall the event being cancelled last year, with a virtual show organised in 2021. It was also cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Ministry has set aside a budget of $100,000 to put on the event.”

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