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KINGSTON — Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Robert Montague says the Ministry will be seeking to develop a programme to push the production of turmeric, which is the basis of the curry spice, a favourite of many Jamaicans. “We import $4 million worth of this spice…and it grows wild in Jamaica. It costs less than $100,000 per acre to...

KINGSTON — The Spanish Government has donated some $30 million to establish a regional Centre for Excellence in Advanced Technology for Agriculture (CEATA). This was announced by Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Mara Celsa Nuño, at the opening ceremony of the Caricom/Spain Technical Co-operation Programme for the Training of Greenhouse Technicians, at the Agriculture Ministry, Kingston on Tuesday September...

KINGSTON — Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Robert Montague, has called on Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) extension officers to forge inter-agency relationships in their various parishes, and to take the lead in the development of rural agriculture. “The RADA van might be in the garage and you may have to borrow the Social Development Commission (SDC) van, but...

The Governments of Jamaica and the People’s Republic of China yesterday (Sept 19) signed two grant agreements for RMB 21 million (US$3.288 million) and a Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation. Another agreement for RMB 30 million (approximately US$5.617 million) was signed at the 3rd China/Caribbean Trade and Economic Forum in Trinidad last week. That amount brings the total agreements signed between the two...

MONTEGO BAY — Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has announced that divestment of the commercial aspects of the Cocoa Industry Board is well underway. Dr. Tufton said that the divestment was essential for the success of the industry, and for the benefit of small rural farmers and the Jamaican economy. “Cocoa, like coffee, is a pervasive...

MONTEGO BAY — Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon J.C. Hutchinson, says that Government is intensifying efforts to regain local prominence in the cocoa market, by the rehabilitating some 2,000 acres of production. With grant assistance from the European Union and USAID, the country hopes to increase cocoa production by 400 tonnes by the end...

MONTEGO BAY — Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Robert Montague, said he would be pushing for increased egg production from local farmers to meet the needs of consumers and egg processors. He was responding to concerns from the principals of Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ) Limited, the country’s largest food service distributor, about the inability to source enough eggs to...

KINGSTON — Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, will in another week, meet with exporters of food and related products who are not currently compliant with the United States' new Food Safety Modernisation Act (FSMA), which takes effect in January 2012. Addressing a recent press briefing at the Ministry in New Kingston, where he outlined measures...

KINGSTON — Government is offering food exporters a special loan of $100 million and  general assistance, to bring their operations up to standard to meet the new United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements, which take effect in January, 2012. Making the announcement at a press conference at the Ministry, in New Kingston, on September 6, Minister of...

KINGSTON — Jamaicans are being encouraged to eat more locally produced chicken meat, in an effort to further boost the sector and to increase employment among local workers. "What we're trying to do is to get persons to eat more of the local chickens and to hold down on some of the imports, so that we can employ more of...

KINGSTON — The first shipment of Jamaican honey, produced under a joint venture agreement between the Government, the All-Island Bee Farmers' Association (AIBFA) and the Boston Diaspora Ventures LLC (BDV), is expected to hit overseas markets within six months. This was disclosed by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Robert Montague, at the signing of the agreement at the Ministry,...

KINGSTON — Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Robert Montague, has reaffirmed Government's push to ensure the survival of the aquaculture sub-sector through the introduction of new policies. Among them are the development of a national fisheries policy, which embraces the principles and tenets of the Common Fisheries Policy, including the ecosystems approach to fisheries and aquaculture development management; and...