Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is calling for faster take-up of former sugar lands for the planting of alternative crops. Mr. Holness, who was delivering the keynote address at the 65th staging of the Hague agricultural and industrial show in Falmouth, Trelawny, on Wednesday (February 26), said that “we have not been utilising the acreages that are being...

Minister of State for Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Government, through its Alternative Development Programme (ADP), is committed to assisting traditional cannabis growers to transition to the emerging legal medicinal industry. “The ADP was specifically created to offer farmers the technical and financial support they need to enter the legal industry. It is designed to...

The Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) is aiming to host two sensitisation sessions monthly in rural areas, to raise awareness about the medicinal cannabis industry islandwide. Director of Research Development and Communication at the CLA, Felicia Bailey, told JIS News that their communication efforts are targeting rural communities, as they want to engage traditional cannabis and small farmers. “Some of these...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green says technical, and other inputs will be extended to former workers of the Monymusk sugar factory who received leases to parcels of land to do farming. Mr. Green said agencies such as the National Irrigation Commission (NIC), Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and Agro-Investment Corporation...

Fishing and aquaculture communities across Jamaica, will continue to benefit from initiatives aimed at building climate change resilience during the upcoming fiscal year. This, as the Government has set aside $90 million to undertake these activities under the project dubbed ‘Community Based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector’, outlined in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure. For the upcoming fiscal year...

Five former Monymusk sugar factory workers received leases to parcels of land from Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, in Hermitage, Clarendon, on February 20. The Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ) has provided some 164 acres of prime agricultural lands on which the displaced workers who are interested in farming can...

With drought taking a severe toll on residents and farmers across the island, the Government will be making $100 million available to the nation’s Municipalities to tackle the problem. Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, said the Government will also be providing Councillors with 500-gallon black water tanks to immediately deal with some of the most...