RADA Implements Greenhouse Project in St. Mary

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is currently implementing a greenhouse farming project in the Highgate area of St. Mary, to boost agricultural production and promote the use of this technology among farmers in the parish.
Speaking with JIS News, Victor Edwards, RADA Parish Manager for St. Mary, said the project is being developed at a cost of $880,000, and that the agency was working closely with the farmers to ensure the success of the initiative.
The greenhouse, which is near completion, will be 170 feet long and 40 feet wide, and equipped with a plastic roof and an insect screen to protect the plants from sunlight and insects.
Informing that the major crops to be cultivated were tomatoes and hot pepper, Mr. Edwards said the project would be used as a demonstration for the farmers of St. Mary, as RADA continued its efforts to push greenhouse farming as one of the technologies needed to give Jamaica’s agricultural production a competitive edge in the global market.
He noted that a number of farmers in the parish have been displaying interest in greenhouse technology, as the project progresses and expressed confidence that its operation would successfully demonstrate the increased production and significant earnings that could be derived from greenhouse farming.
He further emphasized that the completion of the project would further enable the farmers of St. Mary to continue their significant contribution to the sector and the economy as a whole. The greenhouse is complementary to a number of other agricultural development initiatives currently being implemented by the Authority in St. Mary.