November 20 (JIS): Farmers in St. Thomas are being commended for their spirit of resilience, particularly in the aftermath of the recent heavy rains. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, during a tour of flood-damaged areas of the parish today (November 19), met with several farmers who provided him with a first-hand account of how Potential Tropical Cyclone 22 has affected their livelihoods. St. Thomas is one of the most severely impacted parishes, with damage to roads, crops and houses from flooding and landslides. Speaking to journalists, the Prime Minister said, “I must commend the spirit of the farmers. I have not heard one farmer who said ‘I’m giving up’. They’re saying ‘we’re going again’ and I want to commend that spirit and encourage them.” He pointed out that the plains of St. Thomas, which were formerly mostly dedicated to sugar, have now diversified into other areas of agriculture, notably onion, pumpkin, banana and pepper. Noting that the parish is showing “great potential in agriculture”, Mr. Holness said the Government will be trying to assist the farmers to recover from the losses from last week’s severe weather system. He said that effort will be made to ensure that farmers can get back into the field as quickly as possible. Mr. Holness also pointed to the potential of mining in the parish, noting that “if properly regulated and promoted, it can yield significant benefits for the parish.” “We’ll take a serious look at how this industry, which is beneficial, can be used to ensure that there is some amount of river training and channeling to ensure that there is free and proper flow of water,” the Prime Minister said.

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