Sweet yam farmer Shermaine Barnett tends to her farm in Endeavour in the parish of St. Ann.
Farmer Shermaine Barnett has high praises for the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) for the support given to her in the development of her sweet yam farm in Endeavour in the parish of St. Ann.
The 40 year-old mother of 12-year-old Zarek, is one of 500 farmers growing sweet yam and approximately 4,000 farmers islandwide benefitting under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries’ Production Incentive Programme (PIP).
The PIP is managed by RADA and targets nine crops, namely ginger, strawberry, cassava, Irish potato, onion, sweet and yellow yams, hot pepper and dasheen, with the aim of increasing and sustaining production to meet market demands.
Ms. Barnett credits her high performance in the production of sweet yam to her participation in the seminars, farms visits, assistance with pesticides, as well as supply of planting materials and pesticides from RADA.
“If I were to rate the help I received from RADA out of 10, it would be a 10,” she said.
Ms. Barnett, who also grows an acre of Irish potato and corn, explained that her crop was affected by the anthracnose disease, but RADA stepped in and was able to remedy the situation, breathing new life into her farming operations, which consists of some 1,000 yam hills.
The sweet yam farmer, who credits her love for farming from watching her father, urged others who need assistance from RADA to become registered.
“I grew up knowing my dad as a farmer. I would go with him some Saturdays but was only allowed to sit under a tree or in the farmhouse as I was a girl. As an adult, my interest grew but my dad was very hesitant. Eventually, he gave in; he gave me land, and a lot of guidance plus his labour. So, it is fair to say I got in because of my dad,” she said.
After nine years as a farmer, Ms. Barnett is encouraging young people to get into farming, noting that it is a challenging but financially rewarding vocation, which has enabled her “to live above the poverty line”.
“It is also a feeling of great accomplishment, knowing I am contributing significantly to feed Jamaica and, by extension, the world as I export sweet yam,” she added.
To date, Ms. Barnett has exported 10,000 pounds of sweet yams and she has a positive outlook for the future with “more growth and prosperity” on the horizon.
“Come next year, I will also be trying a new method of planting sweet yam called trellising, which, if successful, will result in more profits, so the future is bright,” she expressed.
Meanwhile, Portfolio Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Audley Shaw, recently announced in his Sectoral presentation that as part of efforts to assist small farmers experiencing challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional sum of $1billion would be allocated to the programme.
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