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Home | Ministry of Agriculture and IICA support greenhouse farmers with inputs following Hurricane Beryl
Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter (second from left), presents Senior Technical Officer at Grace Kennedy and greenhouse farmer, Junior Ebanks (right) with greenhouse inputs, at the Hand Over Ceremony of Greenhouse Inputs held at the Len Blake Complex, located at the border of St. Elizabeth and Manchester, on Thursday, October 17, 2024. Sharing in the presentation from left are the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Representative for Jamaica, Kent Coipel, and the President of the Jamaica Greenhouse Growers Benevolent Society (formerly the Jamaica Greenhouse Growers Association), Jervis Rowe.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), distributed greenhouse inputs to farmers who suffered losses following Hurricane Beryl.
The inputs, which include greenhouse plastic, locking profiles, wiggle wires, and seeds, were sponsored by IICA and were distributed to 24 farmers during a handover ceremony held at the Len Blake Complex, located at the border of St. Elizabeth and Manchester, on October 17, 2024.
Minister of State Hon. Franklin Witter, speaking at the handover, expressed gratitude to IICA for its generosity and swift response to the Ministry’s call for support.
“I have travelled across the island, more so across St. Elizabeth, and I would have seen a number of the greenhouses that were flattened as a result of Beryl. So, this kind of intervention, I believe, is very timely,” he said.
The state minister also highlighted the importance of greenhouse farming to agriculture in Jamaica, emphasizing its role in helping the nation adapt to climate change.
“Greenhouse farming is one of the areas that we really have to put some interest in as we seek to respond to the issue of climate change and global warming,” Witter emphasized.
Additionally, Witter outlined that starting next week, the Ministry will begin distributing the first portion of the $165 million assistance to greenhouse farmers. He noted that materials are currently being delivered to the Ministry from various suppliers.
Meanwhile, IICA Representative for Jamaica, Kent Coipel, speaking at the handover ceremony, stated that investments in agriculture are particularly vulnerable due to the ongoing threat of climate change.
“We need to see how best we can employ adaptive options and technologies that can reduce our vulnerability. So, it is always important that we continue the capacity building not only among greenhouse farmers but also among technicians and researchers,” he outlined.
Coipel also shared that IICA and its collaborating partners are currently developing a disaster risk response strategy and action plan that will enable “immediate, coordinated, and effective responses to disaster-affected member states.”
The greenhouse sector in Jamaica sustained damage totalling over 688,000 square feet, impacting 236 greenhouses, as a result of Hurricane Beryl. The estimated cost of the damage is $856 million, affecting 224 farms.
IICA will be hosting a capacity-building session aimed at helping greenhouse farmers explore ways to build resilience against future storms and hurricanes. This session is expected to take place later in October.
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