AF/2856/22
KINGSTON, Feb. 8 (JIS):
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has reported a major increase in agricultural produce for the last quarter of 2021.
Preliminary estimates for domestic crop production for the October to December quarter of 2021 show an increase of 18.2 per cent over the corresponding quarter of 2020, moving from 161,639.6 tonnes to 190,990 tonnes.
Significant contributors to the increased production were condiments – 12,755.7 tonnes (50.2 per cent), fruits – 16,123.8 tonnes (36.5 per cent), and vegetables – 67,498.5 tonnes (24.1 per cent).
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., who made the disclosure during his address at the Ministry’s virtual press briefing on Tuesday (February 8), said Jamaica’s overall domestic crop production moved from 697,678.8 tonnes in 2020 to 770,456.2 tonnes in 2021, representing a 10.4 per cent increase.
This was reaped from 50,623.3 hectares, representing an 8.1 per cent increase in the area reaped.
He attributed the increase to a continuation of the sector’s growth trend over the past four years, which represents the highest ever production for the subsector, as for the first, time production has exceeded more than 700,000 tonnes.
“I believe that this increased production and productivity was influenced by the many interventions that were implemented under the Ministry’s Recovery Programme, as well as $100-million support to farmers following the impact of Tropical Storms Grace and Ida in August,” he said.
Giving growth projections of the sector in the short term, the Minister said with indications from the field that production remains vibrant, “we can expect that barring any unforeseen extreme weather conditions, the strong growth experienced in the last quarter will continue into the first quarter of 2022, and the Ministry and our agencies are doing everything possible to make sure we give the support in resources, in technical advice, and in strong partnership [for] that to be not just a possibility but a reality”.
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CONTACT: ROCHELLE WILLIAMS
