Jamaicans are reminded that it is illegal to buy, sell or slaughter cattle that are not affixed with the National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) ear tags. The system aims to strengthen food safety by enhancing animal disease surveillance and supports the development of a modern livestock sector aligned with international standards. Stakeholders involved in cattle rearing, including butchers,...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says agriculture and manufacturing will be critical to the recovery of the tourism industry in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, from the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He said the impact of COVID-19 has been “huge”, noting that Jamaica lost approximately US$2.5 billion in earnings and just over 100,000 jobs since the...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, is inviting private-sector stakeholders to partner with the Government to supply farmers with access to essential machinery and equipment. He noted that while the Ministry has purchased backhoes and will add six tractors to its fleet, “the pace at which we want to move agriculture will require more equipment and machinery. I...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has commenced preparations for the upcoming dry season. In an interview with JIS News, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, said that following a recent meeting of the Ministry’s newly formed Drought Mitigation Committee, several measures are being implemented “to manage, in a proactive way, the execution of the drought management plan for the sector”....

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Ministry has established an oversight committee with responsibility for developing a national yam strategy to boost production islandwide. “We want that committee to chart the future of yam. We are not comfortable with what we are doing now; we can do more, and that oversight committee is developing a yam...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is taking steps to regularise former sugar cane lands in Parnassus, Trelawny, which are occupied by informal settlers. The move is in keeping with the Government’s drive to ensure that agricultural lands are used for farming and other developments. Speaking to journalists during a tour of sections of Southern Trelawny on Friday (January 22),...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is taking steps to provide insurance coverage for the island’s large and small-scale farmers through the partnership with the private sector. Addressing farmers at the Albert Town High School in Trelawny on Friday (January 22),  following a tour of southern sections of the parish, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green said that talks are underway...