Farmers Urged to Boost Production to Ensure Food Security

Senior Strategist in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Michael Pryce, is calling on farmers to boost production to safeguard the country’s food security, particularly as another hurricane season approaches.

“Do what you do best – produce. The Ministry will support you. We will not always be perfect, and we may not be as timely all the time as you want but our responsibility is to support the productive sector, and we will do that for our consumers and our farmers,” he said. Mr. Pryce, who was addressing a recent JIS Think Tank, noted that consumers also have a role to play by buying locally grown produce.

“Sometimes things may change in terms of prices but support our farmers. That is the best way to ensure our food security,” he said.

Principal Director in the Agricultural Marketing Information and Incentives Branch (AMIIB), Kevin Condappa, highlighted the importance of partnership in advancing the agricultural sector.

He said that agriculture is not solely the responsibility of government but is a collaboration among farmers, consumers, and the private sector. “The business of agriculture is a partnership between all our stakeholders. It is very important for long-term sustainability and Jamaica’s food security,” Mr. Condappa said. He noted that, given current geopolitical tensions, Jamaica must be mindful of its ability to produce enough food to feed itself.

“Storage is going to be a critical factor going forward. The government alone will not be able to do all this storage, and private-sector involvement will be critical if we are to see Jamaica coming through in this time,” he stated.

Since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the Government has allocated more than $3.4 billion as part of the recovery efforts for farmers and fishers who suffered damage.