Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (third right), commissions a new 5,000-gallon water truck into service at the Lydford Industrial Park in St. Ann on Friday (April 19), which will benefit farmers in the parish. He is joined by (from left) Parish Agricultural Manager for the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in St. Ann, Delroy Luke; Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited (JBM) Managing Director, Donna Marie Howe; Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter; Director on JBM Board of Directors, Michelle Campbell Sawyer; and Vice Chairman of the JBM Board of Directors, Robert Chung.
April 23 (JIS):
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, on Friday (April 19), commissioned into service a new 5,000-gallon water truck to benefit farmers in St. Ann.
The $15-million unit was procured by the Jamaica Bauxite Mining (JBM) Limited and will be managed by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).
Minister Green, in his remarks at the commissioning held at the Lydford Industrial Park, said that the truck will provide much-needed relief to farmers amidst the ongoing drought conditions.
He noted that the unit will serve areas such as St. Ann’s Bay, Claremont, Moneague, Irons Mountain, Beecher Town, Orange Park, Hinds Town, Epworth, Golden Grove, Clapham, and other farming communities in the parish.
With their own dedicated water supply, farmers can be assured of consistent access to water for agricultural purposes, he noted.
“Our farmers are facing drier conditions. The reality is that we have already gone into drought and we are still just in the month of April. We have not gotten into the most difficult months of June, July, and August,” the Minister pointed out.
“As such, the reality is that we need to be able to help our farmers navigate these times. We have to get more assets that we can provide to support the people we serve,” he added.
In addition to water trucks, these assets include tractors and drones to boost agricultural productivity in St. Ann.
The Minister noted that efforts are under way to explore the utilisation of old bauxite wells for irrigation, further enhancing water access for farmers.
“Again, while the trucks are immediate responses, what we’re looking for is a long-term solution to ensure that each year, as the drought gets worse, we’re better able to maneuvre and navigate the drought,” the Minister said.
For his part, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter implored the farmers to take care of the unit, “so that it will continue to give you the service that it was intended for”.
Farmer Megan White from Alderton, who plants hot pepper and other crops, expressed gratitude for the water truck.
“Now that there is a truck, I could set up one of those black water tanks and use the water from there for the time being. So, it is indeed a very good initiative,” she said.
JBM Managing Director, Donna Marie Howe, in her remarks, noted that the provision of the water truck is in keeping with the entity’s long-standing support for farmers.
She commended the farmers for their resilience and expressed the hope that “the water that is in that truck helps to flourish, cultivate, harvest, and let your businesses and crops have prosperity”.
JBM is a Government-owned company (a Public Body) with a business enterprise mandate.
The entity is custodian of more than 4,000 acres of government properties in St. Ann and monitors the operations of Discovery Bauxite Partners, a bauxite mining operation based in Discovery Bay.
