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Plans are in high gear for the 13th staging of the Minard Livestock Show and Beef Festival, which will be held on Thursday, November 11, at the Minard Estate in Brown's Town, St. Ann. The annual event will be hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in collaboration with the Agro Investment Corporation, under the theme, 'Partnering in Livestock...

Brand Jamaica was once again on display, as a wide selection of local foods were well represented by several companies at the recently held Grocery Innovations Canada (GIC) 2010 trade show in Toronto. The Jamaican booth, coordinated by JAMPRO featured delectable items from baked goods, tea and coffee, to sauces and spices. JAMPRO's Vice-President for Trade and Business Development, Ms....

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is now on the ground investigating reports of a crocodile population in Great Pond, St Elizabeth which is allegedly hunting domestic animals. NEPA has also received reports that members of the community are catching and restraining the crocodiles. This is a dangerous practice and community members are encouraged to allow the NEPA officers...

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Honourable Dr. Christopher Tufton has called on veterinary professionals to continually work towards improving animal health and welfare by way of available tools, such as advocacy, scientific research and lobbying to enact appropriate legislation. "It is the responsibility of humans to ensure animal welfare and include steps to achieve proper housing, nutrition, disease prevention, humane and...

Wood packaging material coming into Jamaica must bear the mark of compliance with the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15), signifying that they have been treated for pests, as of next January. Chief Plant Quarantine Produce Inspector in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Sheila Harvey, told the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce's Ninth Annual Customs seminar, at...

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Marc Panton, says proper on-farm water management continues to be a critical component for reducing production costs and improving crop yields. Speaking at an International Project Management Day function, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, on October 4, Dr. Panton stressed that water was a crucial commodity...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, has called on the Jamaica 4-H Clubs to tap into the talents and skills of its members to create sustainable business ventures. The Minister, who was addressing the annual general meeting of the clubs' Island Advisory Council held on October 30 at the St. Matthews Anglican Church in Santa Cruz, St....

Approximately 200 of the 675 sugar workers formerly employed to Frome Estate, Westmoreland, have received grants under the government's Social Mitigation Programme, which is supported by the European Union (EU). According to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Donovan Stanberry, the programme aims to, among other things, help to cushion the social, economic and environmental impact caused...

Farmers in the southern section of Manchester will be embarking on a project to re-establish irish potato production, through collaboration with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS). At a sensitisation forum organised by the JAS Wednesday (October 27) at the Betharbara Primary and Junior High School, Manager of the Christiana Potato Growers Association, Alvin...

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Marc Panton, has said that farmers are reaping the benefits of the recent investment that the Government has put into the agricultural sector. "We have improved our marketing system through the Jamaica Agriculture Market Information System (JAMIS) and that has been quite successful," he told the Mid-Island Chapter of...

The showcase of products at the 'Jamaican Pavilion' brought favourable comments from the nearly 6,000 participants at the 14th annual Americas Food and Beverage Show held October 26-27 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Florida. For the first time, a range of foods and beverages decorated the eight booth spaces, giving the Jamaican products proper national identification, adorned in the...

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Marc Panton, launched a $10 million USAID financed small grants programme, in Braco, Trelawny on Wednesday, October 27. The programme is aimed at assisting farmers to boost production in selected crops, which should also boost their income. Seventeen Farmer's groups, involving 400 individual farmers in six parishes, are to...