Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Donovan Stanberry, says Jamaica owes a debt of gratitude to the Ministry’s employees whose work has helped to spur economic growth. Speaking at a recognition ceremony for 31 of the Ministry’s retirees at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, on March 15, Mr. Stanberry noted that agriculture has...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) hosted the first in a series of workshops for farmers, yesterday (February 28), aimed at providing the tools and information for cottage industries to transform agricultural production into formal business ventures. The initiative, being carried out by RADA’s Home Economics Division, brought together farmers from East and West Rural St. Andrew, at the Michael...

The Government is spending $240 million to rehabilitate 60 kilometres of cane roads between Long Pond in Trelawny and the Appleton factory in St. Elizabeth. The project will connect the two major sugar-producing areas, with sugar cane being transported to the Appleton factory for processing. The work will be undertaken over the next two financial years under the Cane Haul...

The Banana Board is targeting further increase in exports by year-end, says the entity’s General Manager, Janet Conie. She said the prospects are positive, as Jamaica has received queries from several countries, particularly in Europe, regarding potential export arrangements. She was speaking with JIS News following a tour of farms and facilities in Portland and St. Mary on February 22...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, says farmers must be commended for their resilience and unwavering commitment to the agricultural sector. Addressing the Braco Production and Marketing Cooperative Society in Trelawny on February 22, Mr. Hutchinson said that agriculture has improved significantly over the past several months and local farmers have...

More than $131 million has been allocated to the Jamaica Banana Accompanying Measures (JBAMS) project to combat poverty and improve earnings in banana-dependent areas. Details are contained in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is slated to run from October 2013 to September 2017, aims to improve the productivity and resilience of...

The Agricultural Competitiveness Programme has received an allocation of $180 million to improve the sector’s performance on the national and international markets. Details are outlined in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project aims to increase capacity of small and medium farmers to access national and international markets, improve the performance of the country’s...