$1.5 Billion Allocated to Complete Southern Plains Agricultural Project

A budgetary allocation of just over $1.5 billion has been made to complete the Southern Plains Agricultural Development Project in the upcoming fiscal year.

The sum is contained in the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives.

The project, which began in 2019, is slated to end in December 2024.

It aims to provide access to irrigation water on fallow sugar lands to increase agricultural productivity.

This includes the construction of wells and canal network and the development of the associated agricultural infrastructure in the arable areas of Amity Hall and Bridge Pen in St. Catherine and Parnassus in Clarendon.

Achievements under the project up to December 2023 include the drilling of three wells and yield testing in Parnassus, completion of capacity-building for climate resilience and crop modelling and designs for agricultural building, practical completion of Amity Hall/Bridge Pen irrigation and roads/drainage works, and the 87 per cent completion of the rehabilitation of the Hartland’s Canal system.

This is in addition to the development of a Gender Responsive Training Manual for farmer groups, installation of Jamaica Public Service power supply at three well sites in Parnassus, and the completion of a Matching Grant Scheme Operations Manual.

For fiscal year 2024/25, the targets of the project include the commencement of construction of agricultural buildings, completion of the rehabilitation of the Hartlands Canal, and construction of pump houses and a reservoir at Amity Hall/Bridge Pen.

In addition, GIS equipment will be acquired for the National Irrigation Commission and renewable-energy systems procured for powering pumps and equipment at Amity Hall/Bridge Pen and Parnassus.

The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining with co-funding from the Government of Jamaica and the Caribbean Development Bank.