Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth & Sports

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Labour Day activities in St. Ann were well supported, with residents turning out in numbers to participate in projects in keeping with the National Labour Day theme: 'Eat what we grow, grow what we eat'.

Some 30 projects were registered in the parish and the scope of work included the planting of trees, establishing agricultural plots, as well as the usual bushing of sidewalks, patching of roads, and painting of pedestrian crossings.

The parish project was the expansion of the school garden at the Aabuthnott Gallimore High School in Alexandria.

Representatives of the St. Ann Branch of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) were present at the SuperPlus Car Park in St. Ann's Bay distributing seedlings, providing information and carrying out demonstrations on how to grow vegetable and fruit trees in containers.

Deputy Parish Manager for RADA, Melvin Aries, told JIS News that he was pleased with the response of residents to the theme for Labour Day.

"It hurts in the pocket when you go to the supermarket and have to buy imported stuff so this should encourage the farmers to plant more locally grown stuff," Mr. Aries said.

He said that students would be targeted in this effort as they needed to "see agriculture as a viable option and something that they can make a living from."

The Deputy Parish Manager appealed to residents, who received seedlings, to take the best care of them.

"In all, I know that today will be a successful day and come next year, we can look back and say that it was really good to have chosen this theme," he told JIS News.

Meanwhile, Betty Johnson, a resident of St. Ann's Bay, said she was happy to have received a few sweet pepper seedlings, which she would add to her family plot.

"I've never tried sweet pepper. I've tried the string beans, the tomato, the peas, yam, banana and plantain, so I am going to try this now and I am sure that it will come up strong," she said, while encouraging others to utilize whatever space they had in their backyards to plant agricultural produce.

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