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The Government of Jamaica, in response to rising corn prices, is collaborating with a number of local private sector entities, notably Jamaica Broilers Limited, to expand corn production. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, made the disclosure on September 18 in the House of Representatives. He informed that, already, the company has established 100 acres of corn, and...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will embark on a National Food Safety Compliance pilot project for the export market, as it looks to improve the safety of fresh produce being exported to the United States as well as those consumed in Jamaica. Being funded by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) at a cost of approximately $49 million, the...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, has lauded the work of the Food Safety Modernization Act Committee (FSMA), noting that the body has had a number of significant accomplishments since its establishment in October last year. The committee was implemented in an effort to develop a strategy aimed at improving the capacity and capability of farmers and fresh...

The Government of Jamaica has embarked on a three-year Food Safety Modernisation (FSM) project to ensure that the country’s food safety standards are compliant with those stipulated under the revised United States Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).    The project, which will be implemented by the Food Safety Modernization Act Committee at a cost of $414 million, will be funded...

The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) has embarked on a 'National Red Peas Planting Project' aimed at revitalizing local production and reducing the high import bill for the commodity. Under the initiative, some 150 hectares of red peas will be planted over a 12-month period, to increase productivity by 30 per cent over the first year of the project, and grow...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is seeking to better utilise the data gathered through the Geographical Information System (GIS) method, as a key strategy to further boost agricultural productivity. To this end, a workshop was held at the Ministry’s Hope Gardens offices in Kingston on August 21, where GIS stakeholders discussed the way forward. The GIS is a computable...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, has informed that discussions are underway with chocolatier, Charbonnel et Walker Limited, to invest in a local company, which will lead to an expansion of the cocoa industry in the medium-term. Mr. Clarke made the disclosure at a press conference on August 20 at Jamaica House, to provide details about investment prospects...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, says there is great demand for Jamaican agricultural produce and agro-processed products in the United Kingdom (UK). He pointed out that the Ministry will be working with local farmers and producers to meet the demand in the market, and called on all the relevant stakeholders, including exporters, to make a concerted effort...

Productivity levels among the Caribbean's farmers are expected to be significantly boosted with the implementation of a $20 million Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)-funded project, dubbed the: ‘Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and Linkages' (PROPEL). The five-year project aims to position some 28,000 small farmers in over eight Caribbean nations, including Jamaica, to provide an adequate and...

Newly elected President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant, said that the organisation will work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to substantially reduce the country’s food import bill, which stood at nearly US$1 billion in 2011.      “We think that the fact that we have about 50 per cent of our arable land still idle,...

Jamaica is one of four Caribbean countries set to benefit from a US$25 million pilot project, to be funded and implemented by the Canadian Hunger Foundation in the region over the next two years, aimed at building marketing capacity. Speaking  at  Saturday’s (August 4) opening of the 60th Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, at the Denbigh Showground, May Pen,...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is looking to tap into the export earning potential of the local cattle industry, specifically its genetic material. This is in response to demand for genetic stock from Jamaica's four indigenous cattle breeds – the Red and Black Polls, Brahman, and Hope – by several countries, seeking to enhance the quality of their stocks....