$12.7 Million Project to Increase Agricultural Production in St. Ann

The Ministry of Agriculture has allocated $12.7 million towards a project, now underway in St. Ann, which is aimed at increasing the production of certain crops in the parish.
St. Ann Parish Manager for the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Pedro Worghs, told JIS News that the crops being targeted included carrots, Irish potato, yam, dasheen, sweet potato, ginger, red peas and hot peppers.
Mr. Worghs said that the farmers involved in the programme would be provided with all planting material plus $5, 000 and five bags of fertilizer per hectare, as well as assistance with land preparation.
Assistance would also be provided with soil testing, he said, so as to determine the nutrient status of land holdings.
“To date, a number of farmers have received assistance under this programme,” Mr. Worghs told JIS News, adding that nine farmers have received planting material, including fertilizer, to establish 13 hectares of Irish potato.
He informed further that 46 farmers have received planting material to establish 17.6 hectares of carrots and three farmers have received a total of 35,000 hot pepper seedlings, to establish four hectares of hot pepper.
The programme, Mr. Worghs said, was going well in the parish. “This programme will certainly bring an increase in production of the selected crops in the parish if it is implemented properly, and I am appealing to those farmers involved to work closely with the RADA extension officers, so that they can access whatever advice is needed, so as to achieve the best results in this project,” he told JIS News.