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Home | Agriculture Ministry to Address Challenges in Drought Mitigation Plan
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (right), looks at a display on the use of agrotechnology, during a tour of booths at the Kingston and St. Andrew Agricultural Show (Agrofest), held on Saturday (May 27) at the Ministry’s playfield in Kingston. Looking on is Parish Agricultural Manager, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Marvin Lawrence.
KINGSTON, May 29 (JIS):
An urgent strategic meeting will be held with critical heads of agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, to address the challenges in the Ministry’s drought mitigation plan.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green said the meeting comes after a nine per cent decline in production was reported for the first quarter of this year.
“We have thus far allocated some $200 million to treat with drought mitigation, but one of the areas I want us to place special attention to is how can we provide our farmers with additional storage capacity and additional drip technology, so that they can withstand these times of drought,” he stated.
The Minister was speaking at the 27th staging of the Kingston and St. Andrew Agricultural Show (Agrofest), held at the Ministry’s playfield in Kingston on Saturday (May 27).
Mr. Green noted that the meeting also forms part of a wider plan to renew focus on food security, agribusiness development, climate-smart technologies, and exports.
He stressed that it was important for farmers to not depend on rainwater to maintain production.
“Still too many of our farmers depend on rainwater to have production. It means we still do not have enough of our arable land under irrigated water supply, and we still do not have enough storage facilities to ensure that in times of drought, we are able to be resilient,” he stated.
The Minister added that details will soon be provided on the Ministry’s short-, medium- and long-term strategies to address the drought situation.
Meanwhile, Mr. Green disclosed that meetings will also be held with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), to address the matter of praedial larceny.
“Praedial larceny continues to be a massive issue for our agricultural entrepreneurs. In fact, I will say the major deterrent from people entering our livestock sector is praedial larceny,” he said.
“Over the next three to four weeks, I will be engaging the JCF to ensure that we find a strategy to put more boots on the ground to see how we can prevent praedial larceny,” he added.
Minister Green said in addressing the issue, he hopes more young people will take hold of the demand in the livestock sector, especially through the provision of goat meat.
Additionally, he noted that increasing spice production remains a major area of focus.
“We will be announcing and outlining a strategy that will take us over the next five years to treat with how we can expand production of things like turmeric, [especially since] its demand that has really skyrocketed during COVID-19, has not tapered off and we have to be able to fulfil that demand,” he said.
