Agri-Business Expo to Target Young Persons in St. Elizabeth

The Social Development Commission (SDC), St. Elizabeth Parish Office, in partnership with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), will be staging an Agri- Business Expo on February 19, at the Santa Cruz Community Centre, in the parish.
This will be staged to sensitise unemployed young people in the parish about agri-business opportunities that exist in two non-traditional agricultural areas, namely bee-keeping and ornamental fish farming; to expose young persons to the various funding options available for agricultural entrepreneurs; and to create a forum for dialogue on food security in the parish.
The expo is being held in the context of the global financial and commodities crises, where countries and individuals are forced to find alternative and non-traditional ways of employment and income creation.
The event will seek to bring together several organisations, such as the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, the Bee-keepers Association, the Ornamental Fish Farmers Association, the St. Elizabeth Co-operative Credit Union, the Jamaica National Small Business Loan Limited, the HEART Trust/National Training Agency, the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning, and the Jamaica Business Development Corporation.
Entrepreneurs involved in the agricultural industry and young persons wanting to pursue business opportunities in agriculture, will be specially targeted.
The broad aim of the expo is that at the end of the event, at least 150 young persons in the parish would have examined the possibilities that the agricultural sector holds, and the financial gains that can be reaped from the sector.