Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ) Holdings Limited will lease approximately 725 acres of former sugar lands in Raymonds, Clarendon, to Jamaica Flour Mills and University of the West Indies/SODECO for the purpose of cultivating agricultural produce that will be used by the flour manufacturer. The crops to be planted include breadfruit, and roots and tubers such as cassava and sweet...

The Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) will be seeking to facilitate an increase in the production of regulated agricultural commodities (RACs) by at least 20 per cent in the 20024/25 fiscal year. This is contained in the Jamaica Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year ending March 2025. The increased production is expected to fill supply...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (second right), discusses characteristics of a local banana variety with (from left) Deputy Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Professor Tannecia Stephenson; General Manager of the Banana Board, Janet Ferguson-Conie; Chairperson of the Musa Technical Working Group, Caribbean Plant Health (CPHD) Directors Forum, Nelson...

More than 100 farmers within agro parks in Ebony Park, Clarendon, are to benefit from improved irrigation infrastructure and equipment for their crops, thereby minimising agricultural output loss. This will be facilitated through a $106-million contract for the implementation of the Agro-Investment Corporation irrigation Transmission Force Main and Equipping project, which was signed at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and...

At least six Jamaicans engaged in agriculture are to benefit from the upcoming regional training in Banana diagnostics and surveillance. Being held from April 15 to 19 at the Life Sciences Department of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, the workshop will train at least 15 persons from across the region. Training is part of the wider regional...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has earmarked $90 million to provide support to the nation’s farmers that are being impacted by the current drought conditions. The money will be used to truck water, provide drip irrigation and other assistance for crop and livestock farmers as part of the Ministry’s drought mitigation programme. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, provided...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter, says the Essex Valley Agriculture Development Project (EVADP) will revolutionise farming and rural development in South St. Elizabeth and its environs. The project, which is slated for completion in early 2025, will deliver 1,700 cubic metres of water per hour, benefiting more than 700 farmers operating...

The Government is providing support to farmers affected by the current drought conditions. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has been “very active” in supplying farmers with water. “A number of farming communities have benefited. The Ministry and the team from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) have made significant...

Jamaica produced some 779,254 tonnes of domestic crops in 2023, which is the country’s second-highest recorded production figure. Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter, in making the disclosure said that the achievement was despite unfavourable weather conditions. “Jamaica, like the rest of the world, experienced one of the hottest years ever recorded......