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...

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...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is reporting that Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing led the sectors which grew during the April to June 2014 quarter, recording growth of 12.6 per cent over the corresponding period last year. Other sectors recording growth, according to the PIOJ, include: Hotels and Restaurants, up 2.7 per cent; Transport, Storage, and Communication, 1.3 per cent;...

Acting Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says the new technology being used by farmers at the New Forrest/Duff House Agro Park, in Manchester, has turned the once desolate area into a well run farm. “The farmers have done a lot of work; they have accepted the new technology, which is the way to go where agriculture is...

Government is finalizing several regulatory functions in the agricultural sector to further strengthen the industry, and will shortly complete divestment arrangements for the Cocoa Industry Board. “Through our restructuring initiatives, we are currently rationalizing the regulatory functions of our Commodity Boards,” stated Acting Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Derrick Kellier, while delivering the keynote address at the Denbigh Agricultural,...