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Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Government is in discussions with local and international interests to secure crop insurance for farmers.
“Our discussions are progressing quite well with our insurance providers with relation to crop insurance. We have been engaging on two levels. We have been engaging locally across our local insurance providers to see what options they have,” he said.
Minister Green was speaking during the virtual launch of the Fisherfolk and Farmers General Insurance Package, being provided by Advantage General Insurance in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, on June 22.
“We have been engaging on an international level, so we have been meeting with a team led by the Development Bank of Jamaica with parties out of India, to look at whether there is an international solution for our crop insurance problem. I think I am safe to say we are coming very close, at least, to the end of that journey,” he noted.
The Minister said crop insurance will afford some protection for farmers whose livelihoods are regularly threatened by severe weather events.
“We have to be able to provide protection, especially for our farmers, in relation to all the investments they have placed in the ground and in their greenhouses that are subject to so many vagaries, especially in relation to the weather,” Mr. Green said.
Reiterating the Government’s commitment to providing assistance to farmers who experience difficulties, he said it is important to craft appropriate solutions and develop a robust system to support farmers.
“Oftentimes, the Government has to find a tremendous amount of resources to try to help farmers and fishers who have gone through tremendous weather events. We have to set up a system that is more reliable, that is more trustworthy and that can give them a greater level of security,” he said.
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CONTACT: ROCHELLE WILLIAMS
