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More than 400 acres of former sugar cane lands in St. Thomas will be made available to small farmers in the parish for the growing of cash crops.

“We are looking to move certain lands from sugar cane into crash crops. The small farmers…who are ensuring food security and keeping the economy going, are the ones who will benefit,” said Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson.

Minister Hutchinson, who was addressing farmers at the St. Thomas Technical High School on Friday (July 3), informed that Sugar...

The Government is to make more idle State-owned lands available for cultivation by small farmers.

This was disclosed by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, who noted that the Administration is in dialogue with various organisations in order to facilitate this undertaking.

The Minister, who was making his contribution to the 2020/21 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (July 1), informed that the higher acreages are mainly located in Manchester, Portland and St. Mary.

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The cadre of technical staff at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is expected to be increased by more than 100 per cent, with the proposed restructuring of the agency.

This was announced by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, who said the new structure will see RADA’s technical staff moving from 150 to 303 extension/assistant extension officers.

“What this means is that we will now have a ratio of one extension officer to 1,400 farmers with no net increase in costs,” the Minister...

State Minister for Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Government is committed to supporting farmers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and safeguard the country’s food security.

He noted that among the initiatives implemented was a $240 million stimulus package to purchase excess fruits and vegetables from those farmers, who lost their markets, largely due to the closure of hotels as a result of the pandemic.

“We bought from the farmers and redistributed through channels such as children’s homes, communities that were on lockdown...

The Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA) is reporting that members are having success on the local and export market since the COVID-9 outbreak in March.

Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, said based on a report from the JMEA, listing some 20 Jamaican companies, the country has been able to replace some imported products, such as hand sanitisers, with locally made brands.

Also, several companies have recorded increased exports to both traditional and new markets in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States (US)...

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