Agriculture on Road to Recovery – Minister Green

Through decisive action by the Government and the resilience of farmers and fisherfolk, the agricultural sector, which suffered significant damage during the passage of Hurricane Beryl, is on the road to recovery.

This was noted by Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, as he provided an update on the ongoing Hurricane Beryl Recovery Programme in the House of Representatives on September 24.

Mr. Green said that, to date, almost $900 million has been allocated through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) to execute the Hurricane Beryl Recovery Programme.

“I am pleased that the Government was able to allocate an additional $1.4 billion towards the Hurricane Beryl Recovery Programme,” he pointed out.

The Minister said the funds have been directed towards critical activities, including providing seeds, fertilisers, livestock, infrastructure rehabilitation, and technical assistance to farmers.

“So far, we have successfully planted 630 hectares (1,557 acres) of land with essential crops, including cabbage, tomato, lettuce, carrot, sweet pepper, cucumber and watermelon. Having stood in fields that were once barren, seeing them now green and growing once again is a testament to the resilience of our farmers and the quick action of our teams,” he noted.

Mr. Green said assessments indicate that 14,370 farmers across the parishes of St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, St. Catherine, Westmoreland, Trelawny, and St. Ann have benefited directly from RADA through this programme.

“Over 10,000 packs of seeds, with the focus being on cabbage, tomato and sweet pepper. have already been distributed. We have also focused on watermelon, cauliflower and cantaloupe. Over 6,500 bags of fertiliser have already been distributed, again focusing on some of our hardest-hit parishes,” he pointed out.

Additionally, given the critical role of yams, cassava, hot peppers, and papayas in the local food supply, efforts have been focused on the provision of land preparation support, distribution of fertiliser and pesticides to aid the restoration efforts.

Also, the Minister said training sessions on best practices for post-disaster crop recovery and resilient farming techniques were conducted within all the major production areas.
“Having spoken to farmers who were unsure if they would be able to ever plant again, thanks to the seeds, fertilisers, and technical support provided, they are back out in their fields. Our efforts have already begun to bear fruit, and last week we actually saw the re-emergence of some of our local vegetable lines on our market shelves. We expect the recovery to continue apace and we expect to reach or even surpass pre-hurricane levels within the next six months,” he said.

Importantly, Mr. Green informed, high-quality and disease-resistant seeds have been introduced.

“With these efforts we expect to reduce losses from pests and disease outbreaks, and increase crop yields and improve resilience,” he added.

He said assistance is also being provided to coffee, poultry, livestock, greenhouse and banana and plantain farmers as well as fisherfolk who suffered major losses during the hurricane, which impacted Jamaica on July 3, 2024.

The Minister noted that from the onset of the recovery effort, the objective has been to revitalise production, rebuild infrastructure, and provide the necessary support to farmers, so they can return to their livelihoods and strengthen the resilience of the agricultural sector.