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Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Roger Clarke, says the recovery of the agricultural sector must be based on a return to traditional crops. Addressing the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s 8th regional capital markets conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Wednesday (January 23), Mr. Clarke said that there should be more focus on exporting crops that have proven to be successful on...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), has provided assistance to 6,000 farmers in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which lashed the island on October 24 last year. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Roger Clarke, made the disclosure in the House of Representatives on January 22. He was responding to questions posed by Opposition Spokesperson on...

The Sugar Transformation Unit (STU) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries resettlement project is set to benefit some 876 sugar workers and their relatives who have been living in Old Sugar Barracks located in Sugar Dependents Areas of Westmoreland, Trelawny, Clarendon, and St. Thomas. The project is an undertaking of the Unit with support from the European Union (EU)...

Two new pesticides have been introduced to the market, giving farmers increased options in safeguarding their crops, while maximising yields. The products - Revus and Engeo - were officially launched by AgroGrace Jamaica in collaboration with Syngenta during a ceremony on Tuesday (January 15) at the AgroGrace premises on Spanish Town Road in Kingston. The pesticides are ideally suited for...

The Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) on Monday (January 14) presented the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) with inputs, which will assist with the restoration of its teaching facilities for protected agriculture. The inputs include seedlings, agro chemicals, shade netting, and galvanised piping material. The facilities suffered some damage from the passage of Hurricane Sandy in...

Mayor of Savanna-La-Mar, Bertel Moore, is appealing to persons setting illicit fires to cane fields across the parish to desist, as they are harming the industry. "It is high time for citizens of the parish, who are engaged in these unlawful activities year after year, to understand the serious and irreparable damage to the sugar industry and to the livelihood...

The South St. Andrew community of Trench Town, known as the cradle of reggae music, having produced some of the island's top musicians including reggae icon Bob Marley, is now yielding bounty of a different sort. In the heart of the community, lies a flourishing greenhouse, where residents are engaged in cultivating vegetables to feed their families, while earning an...

The school feeding initiative under the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) will be implemented in institutions in sections of St. Andrew this month. The initiative, being executed by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), seeks to complement the National School Feeding Programme by providing healthy juices and snacks for children utilising locally grown fruits and vegetables. Speaking to JIS News,...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, says restructuring of the Coffee Industry Board (CIB), now underway, is to improve its effectiveness in addressing the needs of the industry. “We have sought to separate the board in terms of administration from the business aspect of it. Things are changing and we will have to change with the times,” Mr....

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...