Chief Technical Director, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dervan Spence, has informed that under the National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS), all animals, including pigs, sheep and goats, will be tagged. Mr. Spence said that while much attention has been placed on the tagging of cattle as part of efforts to combat praedial larceny, all animals will eventually be...

Senior Research Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Adrian Burke, is encouraging more Jamaicans to get into the business of planting fruit trees. “They are a very good economic source of revenue, and they are also very nutritious,” he stated. Dr. Burke was addressing the recent launch of the ‘Trees That Feed in Schools’ project at the...

Acting Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says the Government is promoting increased production of nutritious foods through initiatives such as the agro-parks programme. The move, he said, is in keeping with efforts to ensure the country’s food and nutrition security. The Minister was addressing the recent launch of the Government’s Inter-Ministerial Integrated School Feeding Programme at the Planning...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is reporting that the Beet Armyworm infestation, that has been plaguing St Elizabeth, has declined to less than five per cent in cultivations still affected by the pest. Acting Deputy Director of the Crop and Plant Protection Unit in the Ministry’s Research and Development Division, Michelle Sherwood, says this decline results from extensive field...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is looking to ramp up production at the agro parks, and increase greenhouse farming and aquaculture, as part of measures to combat drought and reduce food imports. Acting Portfolio Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, stated that the agro parks still have additional lands to be engaged, “and we are working assiduously with our farmers in...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams, is underscoring the importance of co-operatives to the development of communities and expansion of Jamaica’s economy. “Co-operatives are effective engines of sustainable economic growth. They contribute immensely in the improvement of lives and to the economic, cultural and social advancement of our communities. Co-operatives serve...

Jamaica is to benefit from a regional project, aimed at increasing the number of value-added products that can be derived from roots and tubers. The initiative also seeks to boost domestic consumption of these products as well as exports, in an effort to improve farmers’ earnings and promote food security. The ‘Developing Capacity to Analyse and Strengthen Root and Tuber...