Farmers in St. Elizabeth Preparing for Major Castor Bean Project

Farmers in the constituency of St. Elizabeth North West are preparing to embark on a major castor bean project.

Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, informed that the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) is in the process of establishing a project, aimed at using mined out bauxite lands to plant castor beans and intercrop these with cash crops.

“We are looking to partner with them in this venture. The beans will be processed to extract castor oil, which forms a US billion-dollar industry. Its use in cosmetics alone is valued at US$187 million per year,” Mr. Hutchinson noted.

He was making his contribution to the 2022/23 Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday (September 13).

Mr. Hutchinson, who is also Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport and Mining, said while St. Elizabeth North West is outside the bauxite mining belt, the area has many farmers who are already cultivating castor beans.

“These farmers presently operate in a market with inconsistent buyers offering ad hoc prices and would welcome transacting business with a reliable and consistent buyer. We see this project as a game changer for the constituency,” he argued.

Meanwhile, the MP informed that the long-awaited New Market water supply system is expected to be commissioned by February 2023.

“Once functional, the system will provide piped water to residents in 10 districts in the New Market division,” Mr. Hutchinson pointed out.