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Home | Minister Green Seeks Private-Sector Partnership To Provide Farmers With Equipment
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, is inviting private-sector stakeholders to partner with the Government to supply farmers with access to essential machinery and equipment.
He noted that while the Ministry has purchased backhoes and will add six tractors to its fleet, “the pace at which we want to move agriculture will require more equipment and machinery. I want to use this opportunity to say to the private sector, let us partner to see how we can provide more equipment to our farmers at affordable rates”.
“We want to bring in a fleet of tractors and backhoes, privately owned, that are rented by the Government for all farmers. I want the private sector to join with us so that while we are purchasing those six tractors, we would love to get that number to 12,” he added.
Minister Green was speaking at a ceremony for the handover of a backhoe to the St. Elizabeth Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) at the Holland Estate in the parish, recently.
The equipment will assist the farmers engaged in agricultural production on sections of the 2,400-acre property.
Minister Green said that many areas of Government have enjoyed continued growth and success due to public-private partnerships, and it is time for the agricultural sector to adopt such models in order to get more equipment into the hands of farmers, which can contribute to increased production and productivity within the sector.
“We would do that more quickly if a company says, ‘you know Minister, we have three backhoes and we are willing to enter into an arrangement where the Ministry can utilise them for a fee out in the field’,” he added.
In the meantime, Minister Green said that Holland Estate, which is being transformed into an agro-economic zone, “will usher in an agricultural sector that is even more market-driven, research-based and is sustainable”.
“We want to ensure that every farmer that occupies a piece of this Holland property, even before they start planting, they know where their market is. They know who they are going to supply, they know what sort of quantities they need to produce and at what price,” he pointed out.
“So that is what we want Holland to epitomise; that market-driven agriculture sector,” he added.
The Holland Estate agro-economic zone will comprise farms as well as grading, packaging and processing facilities, which will provide opportunities for employment. There will also be a central area where farmers can sell their produce.
Source: JIS
