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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....

Come September, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will be extending the provision of fruit juices under the School Feeding Programme to all 136,000 students in 850 schools served by Nutrition Products Limited. State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Ian Hayles, in his presentation in the 2012/13 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on July 25, said the Ministry...

The Ministries of Agriculture and Fisheries and Education are collaborating to enhance the application of agricultural science in the secondary school curriculum. State Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Ian Hayles, in his contribution to the 2012/13 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (July 25), said initiatives will commence this year, when his Ministry moves to conclude arrangements to...

Noted agriculturalist, Marjorie Stair, is urging residents of St. James to look to opportunities in agriculture, noting that despite the challenges, the sector remains viable. Mrs. Stair, who was among a group of presenters at a 'Jamaica 50' symposium and exhibition held on Monday (July 23) at the Montego Bay Civic Centre, said that many industries, including tourism, depend on...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Ian Hayles, is imploring all Jamaicans to support the local agricultural sector by buying and eating Jamaican products. “I am appealing to all Jamaicans, rich and poor alike show how much you love Jamaica; show us your level of patriotism; show us brand loyalty and buy Jamaican,” he urged....

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is pushing to expand the local sugar industry and bring back some 20,000 hectares of land into sugar cane production, over the next four years. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, made the announcement at a seminar on: ‘Revolutionising the Sugar Cane Industry through Drip Irrigation’, held in Kendal, Manchester, on July...

State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Ian Hayles, says the government is seeking to increase the number of plots under the National School Garden Programme to 10 per parish. He informed that with the 2012/13 allocation of $6 million, "we intend to seek an additional $4 million” to put this plan into motion. Mr. Hayles made...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Ian Hayles, is imploring all Jamaicans to support the local agricultural sector by buying and eating Jamaican products. “I am appealing to all Jamaicans, rich and poor alike show how much you love Jamaica; show us your level of patriotism; show us brand loyalty and buy Jamaican," he urged....

Jamaicans will be in for a special treat with some additions to the usual fare of displays, exhibits and competitions at the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show this year. The show will be staged from August 4 to August 6, 2012, on the Denbigh Showground in May Pen, Clarendon. Addressing a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’  on July...