AF/1016/21
BY: GARFIELD L. ANGUS
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is on a drive to put unused lands into food production.
Recently, 9,000 acres were transferred from the National Land Agency (NLA), and are now being allocated for farming.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, has said that personnel from the Ministry and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) are going across the island “organising small farmers” to set up Agro Production Zones.
Speaking recently at the official opening of the Low Leyton/Lennox Production Zones in Portland, Mr. Green said a transformed agricultural sector will deliver market-driven benefits to farmers, and the Agro Invest Corporation (AIC) is now tasked to help farmers in the development of business plans and to secure land tenure.
“We want our farmers to approach it (farming) as entrepreneurs, looking at their cost of operation, looking at their markets and maximising their profits,” the Minister said.
He added that farmers will get help in writing business proposals, and how to access grant funding, adding that this part of the business is critical, because a lot of the funding from external sources is only open to “farmers who are well organized”.
“Through RADA and the AIC, we are going to ensure that the Extension services are provided, so that we can enhance the productivity and to ensure that our farmers are certified to the highest standards, so that the things that are produced here in Portland can be consumed anywhere in the world,” the Minister said.
Mr. Green said the Government wants the farmers to do well for themselves, and to deliver growth to the farming sector, thereby ensuring food security for the nation.
Meanwhile, one of the new lessees at the Low Leyton/Lennox Production Zones, Winsome Crosdale, told JIS News that she is elated at getting the document for the land.
“Now we are empowered, we can actually expand our agro business,” she told JIS News.
Another farmer, Donald Richards, said he is happy for the opportunity, “so that I can invest and put my knowledge and training into practice with this lease”.
“We can do long-term investment, and with a lease like this, it pushes you to invest as much as possible,” he said.
Cocoa farmer, Gloria Minott Silvera, said she will be planting “fruit trees and other things”, as the lease has given her “certainty and more confidence” to grow more food.
Member of Parliament for West Portland, Hon. Daryl Vaz, said part of the property will be used for a community space for the Orange Bay area, a recommendation that came from a police youth group in the community, as the development is taking place in a joined up “approach”, which involves the public and private sectors.
He added that the effort is to ensure that “we are fully utilising the land to its fullest potential”.
Mr. Vaz said the farmers should make use of the partnership and capitalise on “this new opportunity to access more resources for investment in this project”.
For his part, Head of AIC, Dr. Al Powell, said “agriculture is on the move and our eyes are open to all the possibilities right now”.
“Continue doing what you are doing, we can help you to improve on what you are doing,” he told the farmers.
The AIC manages the portfolio of investment properties previously managed by the Agricultural Development Corporation.
It is responsible for planning, organising, directing and monitoring activities aimed at promoting, creating, developing and supporting viable and sustainable agricultural and agribusiness industries.
RADA is a statutory body under the Ministry and was established under the Rural Agricultural Development Authority Act of 1990, replacing the Land Authorities Act, and began its operation on August 1, 1990.
It is Jamaica’s chief agricultural extension and rural development agency. It aims to become the leader in the drive towards achieving national economic growth and stability through agricultural development.
The agency is committed to promoting the development of agriculture in Jamaica, as the main engine of economic growth in rural communities, through an efficient, modern and sustainable extension service that will enhance the national economy and improve the quality of life of rural farm families, and enhance the development of farming through an effective, efficient and sustainable Extension Service.
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