The Bon Accord Estate Agri-Tourism Project located in La. Mode St. George's was officially commissioned on Thursday by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.

The 111 acre property is the brain child of Attorney-at-law, Robert Branch and his wife Velena. Speaking at the ceremony, Branch said that they are hoping to promote the estate as a place of romance as well as a major tourist destination.

He pointed out that securing the finance for the business was not an easy task since some lending institutions were reluctant to support the initiative. Branch disclosed that he and his wife have a lot of hope for the project in that they intend to expand despite of the lack of financial resources.

Assistance for the project came from the Grenada government and the Republic of China on Taiwan (ROC). ROC Ambassador, Allan Lii-Shang Jiang who made brief remarks disclosed that the relationship between Bon Accord and the ROC begun in 1998.

He said that the Taiwanese Agricultural Research and Seed Development Center at La Sagesse assisted in the planting of twenty thousand (20,000) anthurium lilies at the Estate.

The ROC diplomat expressed the hope that the project will grow from strength to strength and bring more benefit for the Grenadian people. Tourism Minister Senator Brenda Hood who made brief remarks at the ceremony stressed the need for a marriage between that industry and Agriculture.

She said this country cannot continue to promote its new Port facility without any place for visitors to go to when they come to the island. Hood sees the new Eco-Tourism Project as the way forward for the enhancement of the sector in Grenada.

The Minister suggested that part of the expansion of the project could be the erection of some villas on the property. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell who spoke at the ceremony was high in praise for the young entrepreneurs.

The Grenadian leader said that he is heartened to see young entrepreneurs taking the initiative to establish their own business instead of waiting for foreign investors to come and create employment. Dr. Mitchell wants many more Grenadians to follow in the footsteps of the Branch family and to get involved in their own business venture.

The estate is located about fifteen minutes from the town of St. George and was established in 1999. It is now the largest producer of anthurium lilies in the country. Bon Accord is also a major source of other tropical flowers as heliconias and ginger lilies.

Since its establishment, it has won several awards including a Gold Award at the Anglo Irish Bank Garden Heaven Show in Dublin, Ireland for its staged nursery display of flowers and spices of Grenada.

The most recent expansion of the facility at Bon Accord is a restaurant named Anthurium after the flower for which the Estate is the largest producer .