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Home | Agriculture Minister says CASE is critical to Jamaica’s agricultural development
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green (left), receives a carton of eggs and agricultural produce from President of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education, Dr. Derrick Deslandes, at the listening tour at the institution on October 21.
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Portland-based College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), has a critical role to play in leading the development of agriculture in Jamaica.
Addressing the listening tour at the institution on Wednesday (October 21), Mr. Green emphasized that the Ministry will be leaning heavily on the College to lead in conducting research and development in the sector.
“CASE has to be at the centre of our research agenda. There is a lot of good work happening at CASE and what we have to do at the Ministry is to ensure that the research work of our students and of the staff at CASE and other institutions make it out of those halls and into our farms,” he said.
Meanwhile, in his remarks, President of CASE, Dr. Derrick Deslandes, informed, that the institution is building a state-of-the-art abattoir that will be positioned to serve the needs of the parish of Portland.
This, Dr. Deslandes noted, would lead to the production of certified meat necessary to deter praedial larceny.
“We have to force the trade to buy certified meat. Too many uncertified products get into the food chain,” he pointed out.
Regarding pineapples, Dr. Deslandes said the institution has made available a total of 65,000 suckers to farmers in the parish and St. Mary as part of efforts to “transform the parish into a major pineapple-growing area”.
The College also has a sweet potato programme, which entails the creation of a new variety, which is a cross between the Jamaican Yellow Belly and American Beauregard varieties.
“We actually have a nursery that supplies sweet potato seedlings. We can supply Yellow Belly slips and Beauregard slips,” he noted.
Dr. Deslandes indicated that the institution is taking steps to develop its small ruminants programme with a commercial goat farm and expansion of female goats to 1,000 in five years.
“The idea here is to provide good quality animals in the area to support the farmers in the sector,” he said.
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