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Home | Agriculture Ministry to advance partnerships for development of storage and distribution systems
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw (centre), views honeydew at AustroJam Ltd 1,600-feet storage facility in Bluntas District, St. Elizabeth, during a tour of the upgraded facility along with (from left) Clifton Reader, President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and Managing Director of Moon Palace Hotel; Floyd Green, Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth South West; two-time national champion farmer and managing director of AustroJam, Martin Zsifkovics; and Opposition Leader Mark Golding
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw, says the Ministry intends to advance partnerships with the private sector for the development of fully functional fresh produce and livestock transportation storage and distribution systems.
“These storage facilities address the need for the development of reliable and efficient cold chains that will not only reduce crop losses, but also prevent forced sales at low prices,” said Shaw.
Shaw was speaking at the official opening of the upgraded AustroJam storage facility in Buntas, St. Elizabeth, on Saturday, November 6, 2021 where he complimented AutroJam on its contribution to the Jamaican economy with its cultivation and distribution of Jamaican produce for over 14 years.
This initiative, he said, is in line with the efforts of the Ministry to improve local conditions and capacities, creating better food quality at the national level to meet the standards, regulations and market demand for both local and international markets while ensuring that small farmers remain functional.
The Agriculture Minister further emphasised that storage facilities ensure that there is deferred use of agricultural produce, availability of seeds for the crop cycles to come, and guaranteed, regular and continuous supplies of raw materials for the processing industries.
Additionally, he said storage facilities ensure that there is a balance in the supply and demand of agricultural produce thereby stabilizing market prices.
For his part, Member of Parliament Floyd Green congratulated AustroJam, stating that the facility symbolizes what it means to combine opportunity with action and impact. Describing it as a step in the right direction, Green called for the construction of more storage facilities.
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