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The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, on Thursday, May 9, signed an agreement with Caribbean Broilers to immediately put 800 acres of land into sorghum production, at Amity Hall in St. Catherine. Planting began on Thursday under the project, which is among the first initiatives being undertaken in the establishment of the Ministry’s flagship Agro Parks concept. Speaking at the...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will be stepping up inspections at retail outlets, as it strengthens tracking systems to bolster the fight against praedial larceny/farm theft. “This year we are moving to put greater emphasis on monitoring end-users…we are not convinced that the thieves can dispose of stolen goods, particularly livestock, without the collaboration of large buyers/distributors,” Minister of...

Significant work is in progress under the Government’s agro park project, with some 3,237 hectares (8,000 acres) of land already engaged in the production of a number of critical crops. The parks are situated in Plantain Gardens and Yallahs, St. Thomas; Amity Hall and Hill Run, St. Catherine; Ebony Park and Spring Plain in Clarendon; New Forest/Duff House, St Elizabeth/Manchester;...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, is reporting that the 14 fish sanctuaries that have been established across the island are already resulting in increased fish stock and size. Mr. Clarke made the announcement in his contribution to the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate on Wednesday, May 8, in the House of Representatives. The Ministry has spent some $40.4 million...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with a number of tertiary institutions to formulate a joint research programme, to address critical challenges in the agricultural sector. The institutions are: University of the West Indies (UWI); University of Technology (UTech); Northern Caribbean University (NCU), and the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE)....

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, has asked the Bureau of Standards Jamaica to work with the relevant agencies to formulate a comprehensive set of standards for key food items. This, Mr. Clarke says, arises from concerns about the quality of foods Jamaicans are consuming. "The level of sodium in some of our imported foods is frightening. The...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, on Wednesday, May 8, outlined a number of initiatives which have been advanced by the government to provide more efficient and effective service to the agricultural sector. Mr. Clarke, who was making his contribution to the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, informed that significant work was undertaken to rationalize...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, has welcomed the $350 million investment by the Jamaica Broilers Group into its new Best Dressed Further Processing Facility at Spring Village, St. Catherine. The Minister, who toured the facility Wednesday, May 8, accompanied by Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Hon. Anthony Hylton and Members of Parliament, Dr. Andrew Wheatley and Everard...

After 12 years at the helm of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Lenworth Fulton will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) as of May 1. Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Roger Clarke, officially welcomed Mr. Fulton to his new post, during a press briefing on April 24 at his Hope Gardens offices in...

The Board of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is looking to implement a number of measures, to improve the agency’s capacity to contribute to the revitalisation of the local agricultural sector. This was disclosed by Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Roger Clarke, during a press briefing on Wednesday, April 24, at his Hope Gardens offices in St. Andrew. Mr....

Opposition Spokesperson on Finance, Audley Shaw, has given his party’s full support of the Government’s plan to establish agro parks, which are aimed at moving the country towards food security. “We fully support this concept. We believe in a value-added approach to agriculture, where farmers’ output can become agro processors’ input with branded products such as sauces and spices,” Mr....

Veteran St. James farmer, Carlton Smith, strongly believes that the agricultural industry holds the solution to Jamaica’s economic challenges. He supports the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries ‘Eat What You Grow, Grow What You Eat’ campaign, and suggested that more idle land should be put into production so that the country can feed itself and reduce the spending on imported...