Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw (second right) hands over a water pump to Christiana High School Principal, Leecent Wallace (fourth left) at the World Food Day National Ceremony and Exhibition at the Manchester-based school on October 11. The water pump will assist the school to irrigate its orchard crops.Others from left are Kadisha Barnett, Vice Principal Erica Farquharson, Adrelle Clarke, and Chairman of the school’s Board, Dr. Hansel Gillman.
Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, is urging Jamaicans to plant a fruit tree per year to commemorate an anniversary or birthday.
“The planting of the fruit trees shows that you care about the environment, you care about food security for the poor,” he said.
The Minister was delivering an address at the World Food Day National Ceremony and Exhibition, at the Christiana High School in Manchester last Friday (October 11).
Mr. Shaw called upon teachers, students and employees to ensure the trees are planted.
Mr. Shaw noted that this action is part of the overall plan of his Ministry is to plant five million fruit trees across the country over the next five years under the National Fruit Tree Planting Project.
“We plan to do so in orchard form and along approved sections of the roads islandwide but very importantly we want every Jamaican to embrace the culture of planting a fruit tree such as certain varieties of mangoes, ackee and avocado,” he indicated.
As part of the commemoration of World Food Day, the Ministry handed over a water pump, a hand-held tractor and is assisting in the creation of a fruit tree orchard with 30 trees.
The National Fruit Tree Planting Programme is aimed at increasing inexpensive and easy access to an abundance of locally grown fruits islandwide by the poor and gets children to eat more locally grown fruits.
It is also aimed at increasing employment especially for rural people and to increase the viability of agro-processing and food-based cottage industries through the availability of large quantities of inexpensive raw materials and fruits.
The programme also seeks to increase foreign exports and foreign exchange earnings from exports of fruit.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations is also supporting the Ministry on this programme.
World Food Day is being observed on October 16, under the theme ‘Our Actions Are Our Future. Healthy Diets for A #ZeroHunger World’ and is aimed at ensuring that healthy and sustainable diets are affordable and accessible to everyone.
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