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The Government continues to provide support for the sugar industry, with the latest being the provision of $4 billion over the next four years to increase yield, which should ensure that the sector remains profitable. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, who outlined details in a report circulated at a conference organised by the Jamaica Association of Sugar...

Over 300 young people, aged of 15 to 29, in four parishes islandwide, have benefitted significantly from the Scientific Research Council’s (SRC) Rural Youth Employment (RUYE) project, since its inception in January 2010. The initiative, a partnership involving the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), is geared towards reducing the incidence of poverty, unemployment...

Some 51 agricultural specialists from the across the island were presented with certificates following their completion of a two-week irrigation training course, sponsored by the Israeli government. The workshop, which ran from November 26 to December 7, covered four main topics: automated pump management; on-farm irrigation design; rainwater harvesting techniques; and quality and application of treated effluent in agriculture. Speaking...

Young people representing schools and youth advocate groups across Jamaica and the Caribbean, on Thursday (December 6), participated in the Youth Session of the seventh annual Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management, at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, St. James. The Youth Session, which was held under the theme: 'Youth - Champions for Disaster Resilience’,...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, has commended the Agricultural Credit Board (ACB) for 100 years of assistance to the agricultural sector. He said the Board has done yeoman's service, particularly as it relates to facilitating rural development. The Minister was speaking at the ACB 100th anniversary celebration and awards ceremony held on December 5 at the Four...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, said that $3 billion will be provided to sugar cane farmers over the next four years as part of a massive industry replanting and modernisation exercise. The intent is to boost cane production by some 800,000 tonnes, by increasing the amount of land under cultivation to 20,000 hectares, up from 12,000 hectares....

Braving the high seas to fish has been a way of life for many Jamaicans over the years, particularly those living along the coast. This activity has provided the population with a reliable source of well needed protein, and a livelihood for the many fisherfolk who engage in this practice on a daily basis. However, concerns have been raised about...

Fertiliser is a key input in agricultural production as it supplies essential nutrients to enhance and increase crop yield, thereby boosting agricultural productivity. The commodity is however, expensive, and so it is important that farmers purchase the correct fertiliser for their crop and soil type, or risk losing money and time.   Newport Fersan Jamaica Limited, a leading local and...

The programme that will guide the development of eight agro parks across the island is slated to be presented to Cabinet shortly. The programme is being developed by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), and the agency’s Director General, Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson, said that significant progress has been made, and a submission will be made to Cabinet “in the coming...

Local producers and manufacturers of innovative and indigenous products and services will be showcasing their merchandise at Signature Sorrel - the ‘signature boutique’ pre-Christmas shopping event. The grand affair, which is being staged by the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), under the distinguished patronage of  Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, will be held on November 24 and...

Twenty-nine residents of the Tawes Meadows community in St. Catherine have been equipped with the requisite skills to become self-reliant in agricultural production. They were trained by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in chicken rearing, animal husbandry, bee keeping and cash crop farming over a four-week period as part of the agricultural sub-component of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s...

State Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Ian Hayles, is appealing to the banking sector to offer more low interest loans to farmers as a means of boosting agricultural productivity. “At the end of every financial year, the banks will tell you that ‘we made $10 billion in profit, we made $12 billion in profit’. I am appealing to the...