It’s extraordinary that many of us actually take for granted entrepreneurial investment happening around us.

Yet, whether entrepreneurs — be they individuals or groups — are investing their life savings or, on a much grander scale, sourcing huge bank loans, etc, risk is ever-present.

For many, even the independently wealthy, risk becomes unthinkable because of fear of failure. That’s especially since money can ‘safely’ grow just lying there on reputable interest-earning instruments.

For our part, we are always impressed by those who twin their entrepreneurial instincts with a sense of the national good as they boldly step forward.

We are taken down this road by news of Caribbean Broilers (CB) Group’s $15-billion investment in an air chill poultry processing plant at its integrated 1,000-acre, eco-industrial park, The Nest, in Hill Run, St Catherine.

The project is being seen as a key step in reducing reliance on imported poultry — now said to be about 20 per cent — and even strengthening food security in the wider Caribbean.

Our reporter tells us that air chill replaces the traditional water-based method using cold, purified air to lower the temperature of chicken meat after slaughter. The change reportedly improves quality, reduces the risk of contamination, and saves millions of litres of water, to be treated and repurposed for irrigation on The Nest’s 500-acre multi-crop farm.

Currently the plant is said to have processing capacity of 12,500 birds per hour on a single shift basis. Caribbean Broilers CEO Mr Matthew Lyn is projecting massive expansion as demand grows.

We hear there’s also an energy generation and savings component since a partnership with electricity provider Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) will capture waste heat from the processing facility’s generators to produce steam. That, we are told, will not only reduce environmental impact, but also improve electricity reliability in surrounding areas.

Mr Lyn proudly tells us that “This is about more than just producing poultry; it’s about creating a model for sustainable farming in the Caribbean.”

But as we all know, sustainability and growth require an enabling environment.

Hence, Mr Lyn’s appeal to Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness at this week’s formal launch for the road at Hill Run to be fixed.

“Let’s change the minds of future generations, attract serious investment capital, and transform the relationship between industry, the environment, and agriculture… Prime Minister, I’m begging for a road,” he reportedly said to applause.

Mr Holness, whose Government is using emergency measures to fix roads made worse by heavy rains, promised that the Hill Run road will be fixed. He added that, “Every delay caused by poor roads translates into higher costs for businesses, which are then passed on to consumers…When we talk about lowering the cost of living and increasing productivity, fixing roads is where it begins.”

The prime minister who has repeatedly identified red tape related to procurement requirements as a major hindrance, did so yet again.

Mr Lyn also pointed to delays in execution of Caribbean Broilers’ massive air chill project because of bureaucratic tangles.

It’s yet more evidence of the need for our legislators to find a way to ease and expedite the processes of doing business and getting projects done, without compromising transparency and accountability.

It won’t be easy, but it must be done.