Hurricane Melissa inflicted significant damage on Jamaica’s agriculture sector, with preliminary assessments indicating losses of approximately $29.5 billion. The disaster affected more than 70,000 farmers and disrupted operations across 41,390 hectares of farmland. Additionally, approximately 1,251,410 animals – including small ruminants, poultry, and cattle – have been lost. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, made the disclosure...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says to stabilise supply and protect household food security, the Government will be tapping into external sources for selected fruits and vegetables. These, he said, include tomato, lettuce, cabbage, sweet pepper, carrot and papaya, based on dietary importance, stock levels and anticipated gaps over the next two months. “We will closely...

Jamaica’s 100-metre World Champion, Oblique Seville, has partnered with United Way of Jamaica to assist farmers impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Seville has donated $500,000 to the organisation’s Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund, which will primarily assist the farming community. This is through the provision of financial assistance, equipment, and supplies to help farmers rebuild their farms, homes, and livelihoods. The track...

Ninety-eight farmers registered with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) will benefit from a $2.88 million insurance payout under the GraceKennedy Weather Protection Programme to aid their recovery from the impact of Hurricane Melissa. The parametric insurance product, administered by GraceKennedy (GK) General Insurance Company Limited, is designed to safeguard the livelihoods of local farmers and fishers against extreme weather...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is urging persons in eastern Jamaica to increase agricultural output to help protect the island’s food security. Hurricane Melissa devastated western parishes and this is expected to hamper food production and availability, with scarcity driving up prices. Senior Plant Health and Food Safety Officer with RADA, Francine Webb, said increased production in the east...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is calling all livestock farmers in Santa Cruz and surrounding areas to attend a Pop-Up Livestock Clinic at its St. Elizabeth Parish Office, 63 Coke Drive, on Wednesday (November 12). Speaking with JIS News, Livestock Specialist at RADA, Maxine Brown, said that activities will begin 10:00 a.m. “What we’ll be doing is working with...

Less than two weeks since the passage of Hurricane Melissa and Leroy Blake, a small farmer from Whitby district in Williamsfield, Manchester, was on his farm, cleaning and clearing fallen trees and other debris from the two-acre property. He was also seeing what could be salvaged from his round leaf yam crop, which had taken a beating from the high...