Agriculture Minister Goes to Washington Sept. 10

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, will pay a two-day official visit to Washington from September 10 to 11.
The Minister, who is visiting Washington on the invitation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will meet with representatives of the World Cocoa Foundation. The visit comes against the background of the Government’s initiatives to restructure the cocoa industry, to re-position it to fuel economic growth in that sub-sector.
The objective of the trip is to explore with potential investors, business opportunities for moving the island’s cocoa industry up the value-chain, as well as to explore partnerships to provide technical support to the industry.
While in Washington, Dr. Tufton will hold talks with various private sector organisations. He will also hold high level meetings with the US Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Thomas J. Vilsack and international donors, including the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
On Thursday, September 10, the Embassy of Jamaica will host an investment seminar entitled, ‘Investing in the future of Jamaica: Opportunities in Agriculture’.
Dr. Tufton will be the keynote speaker. The Minister will also participate in a book signing ceremony, featuring Jamaican author and handwriting specialist, Ms. Beverly East and her latest work, ‘Reaper of the Souls’, a novel about the 1957 Kendal train crash.
Dr. Tufton will be accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Donovan Stanberry.