Hon. Derrick Kellier Appointed Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller has announced that on her recommendation, Governor General the Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen has appointed  Hon.  Derrick  Kellier  as  Minister  of  Agriculture,  Labour  and  Social Security  with  immediate  effect.  The  appointment  gives  Minister  Kellier permanent  portfolio  responsibility  for  Agriculture  and  Fisheries  in  addition  to his responsibility for Labour and Social Security.

Minister  Kellier  will  be  assisted  by  Hon.  Luther  Buchanan,  who  has  been assigned as Minister of State for Agriculture, Labour and Social Security. In his new  assignment,  Minister  Buchanan  will  retain  responsibility  for  Rural Development, one of his areas of Ministerial duty while he was Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security  will  continue  to  be  designated  as  separate  Ministries  within  the Government under the guidance of the Minister and Minister of State.

In  making  the  announcement,  Prime  Minister  Simpson  Miller  noted  that agriculture  remains  one  of  the  key  growth  areas  within  the  Government’s economic  programme  and  said  the  portfolio  will  continue  to  receive  focused attention at the Ministerial, technical and operational levels.

Meanwhile,  Minister  Kellier  will  represent  the  Government  of  Jamaica  at  the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) being held in Paramaribo, Suriname from October  6-12  in  collaboration  with  the  Caribbean  Community  Secretariat. During  the  week,  farmers,  youth  and  women  in  agriculture,  policy-makers, experts  in  the  field  of  agriculture  and  other  stakeholders,  will  participate  in activities  aimed  at  charting  the  Caribbean  region’s  path  in  the  important sector.  The CWA activities include a special meeting of CARICOM’s Council for Trade and Economic Development  (COTED)  and  discussions involving  regional agriculture  organisations  such  as  the  Caribbean  Agricultural  Research  and Development  Institute  (CARDI),  and  the  Caribbean  Regional  Fisheries Mechanism.