Dermon Spence (right), Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, presents a plaque to outstanding young farmer Shawn Cooke at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority Portland Parish Office 11th Annual Open Day held at Folly Oval in Portland on March 29.
Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Dermon Spence, said that Jamaica’s production of plantain and banana in 2016 increased by 13.1% and 8%, respectively, while noting that there is need for increased productivity in order to meet the huge export demand.
Mr. Spence, who was representing Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon Karl Samuda, was speaking at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority’s 11th Annual Open Day, for Portland, held at Folly Oval on March 29.
He noted that despite the increase in production there was an 8% decrease in banana productivity in tonnes per acre over the same period due to the negative impact of flooding. There were also higher levels of the Sigatoka disease affecting the traditional varieties of bananas, Spence said.
The chief technical director encouraged the farmers to plant more of the disease-resistant, high yielding varieties – Williams and FHIA- and noted that the Ministry, through the Banana Board, was targeting to complete distribution of some 200,000 suckers of new and common varieties of bananas to 1, 4000 farmers within the next two years.
“In addition, with the establishment of the newly constructed $2.5-million, European Union-funded tissue culture bio-factory, we hope to produce many more seedlings in the future as the industry expands”, said Mr. Spence.
Mr Spence stated that the Ministry’s aim is to have Portland increase its production of bananas for the local and export markets, and urged the farmers to work with the All Island Banana Growers’ Association, the Banana Board, and RADA to make the thrust for export of banana a reality.
Under the Banana Expansion Export Programme, farmers in Portland, St. Mary and St. Catherine received material input supplies, infrastructure for storage of pesticides, fertilizers and eating facilities for workers.
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