Apiculture Project in Faith’s Pen on Target

Manager of the St. Ann branch of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Pedro Worghs, has reported that the Jamaica Bauxite Institute/RADA Faith’s Pen apiculture project is well on target.
The project, which was implemented at a cost of over $450,000, is geared towards encouraging young people to become involved in bee-keeping.
“This project was planned to train and give equipment and bees to a total of 10 farmers in the Faith’s Pen/River Head area of St. Ann. To date, five farmers have completed training and were each given two boxes of bees and equipment,” Mr. Worghs told JIS News.
He added that the remaining five farmers would also receive equipment and bees after their training is completed.
Mr. Worghs informed that RADA officers were carrying out assessments and monitoring the farmers to ensure that they grasped the concept of proper bee-keeping.”Bee-keeping is a specialized area of agriculture and farmers cannot go into production without proper training,” he said, noting that honey production was fairly profitable and the bees assist other crops in the pollination process.
Mr. Worghs is encouraging farmers who have an interest in bee-keeping to contact the RADA offices in their area or get in touch with the Bee Farmers’ Association in the parish.