Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Floyd Green, has called for a rapid expansion in onion production, noting that while there is a high demand for onion, currently only approximately 30 per cent of the country’s onion needs are being satisfied locally.
Mr. Green was speaking during a tour of onion fields at the Model Agricultural Productions farm in Innswood, St. Catherine, on June 2, 2021.
“I think you have shown the capacity now to grow onions at a high level of productivity and on a large scale. What we have to do is to rapidly multiply this,” said Green.
Green commended the Model Agricultural Productions team for its significant level of investment of over US$2.5 million, as well as its employment of 25 persons on a full time basis with the employment of an additional 50 persons during reaping.
The Agriculture Minister noted that almost 100 acres were in active production of onion, scallion and pumpkin with another 50 acres to go into sweet potato production.
Government has been working to facilitate agricultural investment by the private sector, said Green, who stated that through the SCJ Holdings over 2,000 acres of land have been leased at Innswood for agricultural purposes.
“We want to see the land that we have to be converted in the quickest possible time into agricultural production,” said Green.
He also called on large-scale holding farmers to develop economies of scale so that Jamaica can compete anywhere this side of the world and tap into demand externally.
“We want to be the most efficient and productive agricultural base in the Caribbean,” Green emphasized.
In outlining plans for future expansion of production, CEO for Model Agricultural Productions Ltd, Gideon Siterman, stated that the company would be planting 50 acres of sweet potato for export and an additional 200 acres would be put into production of crops such as onion and sweet corn.
-30-
