Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda (left), signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), in support of a multiagency partnership to plant 6,000 trees, in commemoration of Jamaica’s 60th Anniversary of Independence, at the launch of the initiative, at the Amity Hall Agro Park in St. Catherine, on August 31. Looking on (at right) is Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., and standing (from left) are Chief Executive Officer and Conservator of Forests, Ainsley A. Henry; and Board member of the Agro Investment Corporation, Errol Green.
September 4, 2022 (JIS)
To strengthen agriculture and build the country’s resilience to climate change effects, the Agro-Investment Corporation (AIC) is facilitating a multiagency partnership to plant 6,000 trees
The trees to be planted will include fruit, ornamental and timber, and the exercise will be carried out across the Agro Parks and Production Zones.
Additional trees will be planted at the Ebony Park and Spring Plain Agro Parks in Clarendon New Forest/Duff House Agro Park in Manchester, Yallahs and Plantain Garden River Agro Parks in St. Thomas, Holland Estate in St. Elizabeth, and New Pen Production Zone in St. Mary.
The initiative is in commemoration of Jamaica’s 60th Anniversary of Independence and seeks to contribute to food security as well as conservation of Jamaica’s forest resources.
The programme was officially launched on August 31, at Amity Hall Agro Park in St. Catherine.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., said with effective implementation, it will benefit generations, and ensure food security.
“This partnership represents a drive towards food security, and the best of governance in the production of food,” the Minister told his audience.
For Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, agriculture needs protection, as it is “critical for the stability of this country and to our economic prospects”.
He added that persons should engage in activities that protect the environment, while calling for the creation of more agro forests.
The project is aimed at supporting the National Tree-Planting Initiative (NTPI), which is part of a wider global effort to increase forest areas as a response to global warming and climate change.
The NTPI was officially launched on National Tree Planting Day in 2019, with completion targeted within three years.
Chief Executive Officer and Conservator of Forests, Ainsley A. Henry, said the trees planted will be among “our front-line warriors in the battle against Climate Change, and importantly, they will contribute to management of water sources, and production of wood”.
