CAN$1.8 Million for Agricultural Sector

The agricultural sector is to receive a further boost in its recovery efforts, from the Canadian Government, through its funding agency, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), in the form of a contribution of Can$1.8 million (J$90 million).
Minister of Agriculture, Roger Clarke, made the announcement at the Jamaica Agricultural Society’s (JAS) ‘Eat Jamaican Day’ ceremony and Exposition, held recently at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.
Mr. Clarke extended appreciation to the Canadian government, noting that the sector “owed the Canadian government a debt of gratitude for all that they have done and are doing for the agricultural sector in Jamaica”.
In this regard, the Minister made reference to the Pig Industry Improvement Project currently being undertaken at the Bodles Research Station in St. Catherine, which is a collaborative effort between the Canadian International Company, Donaldson International, the Ministry of Agriculture and the private sector.
Outlining how the money would be allocated, High Commissioner of Canada, Claudio Valle, told JIS News that the “contribution would see both agriculture and fisheries benefiting on a ‘fifty-fifty’ basis”, with each receiving half of the donated sum”.
The Office of National Reconstruction (ONR), working in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), will be in charge of the distribution process, which will see farmers receiving agricultural supplies.