Agriculture Ministry To Build On Existing Programmes To Increase Production
By: , March 4, 2022
Photo: Mark Bell
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (centre), responds to questions during Tuesday’s (March 1) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, whose members are deliberating the 2022/23 Estimates of Expenditure. With the Minister are Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dermon Luke Spence (left), and Minister of State, Hon. Franklin Witter.The Full Story
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is seeking to build on its existing programmes, with the aim of further increasing domestic crop production.
Preliminary estimates for domestic crop production for the October to December quarter of 2021 showed an increase of 18.2 per cent over the corresponding quarter of 2020.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., reported that for the entire year, the sector experienced an overall increase of 10.4 per cent.
He was responding to questions during Tuesday’s (March 1) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, whose members are deliberating the 2022/23 Estimates of Expenditure.
“It is our intention to ensure that the $16 billion that is allocated to the Ministry is used wisely, and we continue the projects that have, for more than four years, put the Ministry on a trajectory focused on advancing the 43 initiatives that fall under the food security, agribusiness development, climate-smart technologies, and export expansion pillars,” the Minister said.
Noting that the production figure for the period showed a historical high of 770,456.2 tonnes, Mr. Charles Jr. pledged the Government’s commitment to maintaining this momentum.
“What it means is that if we are to continue our contribution of 7.8 per cent to GDP or to increase that, we would have to be resilient and focused,” the Minister said.