1,600 Small Farmers to Benefit from Voucher Programme

A total of 1,600 small farmers across five western parishes, which were hardest hit by hurricane Melissa, will benefit from an $80-million voucher programme to bolster their recovery.

Being undertaken by the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) in partnership with Hardware & Lumber Limited (H&L) and H&L Foundation, the programme aims to provide farmers with access to critical agricultural inputs.

It is targeted at farmers in the parishes of Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Hanover, St. James, and Trelawny.

Addressing the launch at S Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday (February 24), Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, welcomed the investment in the country’s farmers.

He noted that the initiative is critical “because agriculture drives our economy and when agriculture does well, the country does well”.

Minister Green said that the programme comes at the ideal time “as we go into phase two of… recovery and restoration and the 1,600 farmers who stand to benefit will continue Jamaica’s progress in terms of recovery”.

The programme will involve the distribution of 1,600 vouchers, each valued at approximately $50,000 for the purchase of seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, tools, and other essential supplies from H&L Agro and H&L Rapid True Value.

AFJ and H&L will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) to identify eligible farmers across the affected parishes.

Vouchers will be jointly distributed by AFJ, H&L, and the H&L Foundation.

For her part, AFJ President, Wendy Hart, said that the organisation was moved to assist after seeing the hurricane’s devastating impact on Jamaica’s agricultural sector.

“When agriculture is disrupted, the effects ripple across markets, households and communities,” she pointed out.

Ms. Hart said that the voucher programme is a component of AFJ Rebuild, which is focused on supporting five communities in the five most severely impacted parishes in the west.

Chairman, H&L Foundation, Olive Downer-Walsh, said that the entity was pleased to partner with AFJ and the Government on the outreach project.

“At H&L, we believe that collaboration is the engine for success in recovery. Together, we’re confident that this initiative will strengthen our farmers’ work in building Jamaica’s food security. When we work side by side, everyone wins,” she said.