Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr, receives yellow yam from Jamaica Agricultural Society Thompson Town Branch member, Althea Pryce, at the official launch of the Hague Agricultural and Livestock Show in Trelawny on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pearnel Charles Jr, says there is vast potential for investment in the cultivation of yams.
Noting that the parish of Trelawny produced a record-breaking 137,575 tonnes of domestic crops in 2022, which positioned the parish in second place up from third place in 2021.
The agriculture minister, who was speaking at the launch of the Hague Agricultural and Livestock Show at the Hague Showground in Trelawny on Wednesday, February 8, said 76 per cent of the 137,575 tonnes of domestic crops consist of yams. However, he outlined that there is still some work to be done to satisfy international demand.
“Yam is the number one domestic crop in Jamaica that is exported and, guess what, we can’t even meet the demand. Even though we are at our highest numbers and even though yam is 76 per cent of the production in the parish we have a lot more to go if we are going to meet the demand globally because every single country wants Jamaican yam,” he pointed out.
Against this, Charles Jr shared several initiatives and strategies that the ministry is executing in support of increased yam production in Jamaica.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is focused on our National Yam Strategy, which gives us the drive to put resources and support behind yam production, he stated.”
“We have a sweet yam project that has caused a resounding rebound in our cultivation of sweet yam, yellow yam and others,” Charles Jr added.
Additionally, he is calling on farmers and investors to come up with innovative ways to process and package yam in order to better provide for the global market.
“Everyone wants a piece of what makes Usain run so fast. It is a gem in our hands. It is a diamond that we have to utilize to benefit the country,” Charles Jr expressed.
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