The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries has lifted a ministerial order, placed in August, which stopped cocoa production across the island, in response to the frosty pod rot disease affecting the plant. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, said the Ministry will instead be using a strategy of field management with a view to control and eventually eradicate the...

A new $500,000 water-filtration system is expected to enhance the Scientific Research Council’s (SRC) capacity to produce more disease-free planting material for selected food crops. The system, which was provided by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) was handed over during a ceremony at the SRC’s Hope Gardens location in St. Andrew, today (December 20). It will be used...

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Norman Grant, is upbeat that the sector will respond fully to the demand for chicken, pork and eggs for the 2016 Christmas season. In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Grant adds that due to the sector’s record 28 per cent growth for the third quarter this year, there will be no need...

Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda, has charged members of the Trade Facilitation Task Force to explore strategies that will enable the country to become more competitive within the Caribbean region and globally. “We must collectively… concentrate immediately without delay on ways of reducing our charges at the port of entry… to remove bureaucracy from the...

Just over 70 hectares of Irish potato are expected to be planted by farmers in Westmoreland under the 2016/17 national Irish potato programme. This is up from 31.2 hectares, which were planted by 101 farmers in the parish in 2015/16. Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, said that emphasis will be...

To strengthen the apiculture industry to respond to climate change and associated challenges, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries provided specialised training for 14 beekeepers and eight staff members of the Apiculture Unit. The training was funded by a grant of US$25,000 under the Jamaica Rural Economy and Ecosystems Adapting to Climate Change (JA REEACH) project. This was...

Members of the Hanover Bee Farmers Co-operative Society have been commended for their steadfastness and devotion to apiculture over the past five years. Addressing the third annual general meeting of the Society in Lucea, Hanover recently, the Minister also lauded them for the part they have played in the development of the industry, not only in the parish of Hanover,...