World 100-Metre Champion Donates $500,000 to Assist Farmers Impacted by Melissa

Jamaica’s 100-metre World Champion, Oblique Seville, has partnered with United Way of Jamaica to assist farmers impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Seville has donated $500,000 to the organisation’s Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund, which will primarily assist the farming community.

This is through the provision of financial assistance, equipment, and supplies to help farmers rebuild their farms, homes, and livelihoods.

The track star is among partners who have contributed to the Fund, which was officially launched at the offices of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) in St. Andrew on Tuesday (November 11) with a seed amount of $1.5 million.

The other partners are the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining; Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS); United Way Worldwide; Seprod; Musson Foundation; Jamaica Stock Exchange; Jamaica Social Stock Exchange; J.E.T.S. Limited; Nestlé, and Scotiabank.

Agriculture Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, in his remarks, commended Seville, the United Way of Jamaica and supporters of the Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund.

“I’m happy that Oblique is here, because, as he said, performing at his highest is grounded in that good Jamaican food,” the Minister said.

He noted that the agriculture sector has been devastated by Hurricane Melissa, with at least 70,000 farmers suffering extreme impact.

“If any of you have been to any of the parishes impacted, you would recognise that there is no comparison to the level of destruction,” he lamented.

The Minister said that everyone has a part to play in rebuilding the sector.

“We all have to do it and no matter what our station in life is, food is critical for sustenance,” he said.

Seville recently made Jamaica extremely proud after clocking a personal best of 9.77 seconds to win his first individual gold medal in the men’s 100-metre event at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September.

The athlete said he is proud to contribute to the Fund, which supports the recovery of the agriculture sector, noting that his mother is a farmer and his deceased father was a Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) field officer.

“Agriculture is what made me,” he said, noting much of his athletic success can be attributed to consuming locally grown food.

“When I saw the devastation, immediately I wanted to do my part by assisting. The United Way initiative is something that I think is important, and I would like it to be my great focus,” Seville added.

“The farmers in the affected areas need to return to production, and anything I can do to get this going is critical to all of us,” he added.

He lamented the devastation caused by the hurricane and expressed sincere sympathy to those who lost loved ones.

“I salute those who have assisted so far. This is something that we have to do for an extended period, as the situation is really bad. I strongly encourage corporate Jamaica, small businesses and ordinary Jamaicans at home and abroad to join us in rebuilding this great country as we continue to inspire the world,” Seville said.