Apiculture Industry a Success – Agriculture Minister

Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Roger Clarke said on (April 18) that the apiculture industry has been a phenomenal success.
“We endorse it because it provides an ideal vehicle through which young unemployed rural youths and women can become engaged in productive activities and make a lot of money,” said Mr. Clarke while making his contribution to the 2007/08 Budget debate in the House of Representatives.
He added that “what excites us even more is the largely unsatisfied market in the European Union, which is craving Jamaica’s high quality honey, to such value-added products as royal jelly, pollens, candles and various forms of pharmaceuticals.”
In addition, the Minister said that in relation to fruit tree crops, the ministry’s target is to establish 1,100 hectares of fruit tree crops over the next three years to improve consumption and support the agro-processing industry.
“We have established state-of-the-art nurseries at Bodles and Orange River Research stations, capable of producing high quality planting material to sustain this effort. In addition to the nurseries, we will now be providing loan and grant support to these and other prospective entrepreneurs in this endeavour,” the Minister informed.