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The Forestry Department is looking to increase its number of local forest management committees, as it intensifies efforts to preserve the country's forest cover. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Department and Conservator of Forests, Marilyn Headley, said that community members, who reside or work in close proximity to forested areas, play a critical role in the protection and...

In recognition of the role agriculture must play in the economy, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will be working together to restructure agricultural education. Speaking during his contribution to the 2010/11 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives recently, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, noted that the agricultural education infrastructure...

Leaders in the fisheries sector are calling for the cessation of practices that could destroy the industry, thereby preserving the livelihood of many persons and generations to come. "The dynamiting must be totally eliminated; no one should dynamite the coral reefs. In the past, fishers could catch very large fish, but today most of the catch consists of small ones,...

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Marc Panton, says earning from the fishing sector can be increased, if fisherfolk adhere to the best practices the Government is promoting. "Fisherfolk can make more return, but we have to look at how we are going to develop our fisheries sector in a way that your children will...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, has said that farmers will reap tremendous benefits from the Land Administration and Management Programme (LAMP) Phase Two, which was launched in St. Elizabeth on Thursday (July 1). "We have over 25,000 farmers in St. Elizabeth, and I see this as an empowerment mechanism to empower our farmers to use their...

Government will be introducing standard operating procedures for the leasing of its lands, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Christopher Tufton has said. "In other words, if you have Government land and you don't use it, you are going to lose it, based on the terms and conditions," Dr. Tufton told the House of Representatives during his Sectoral Debate presentation...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, has noted the need to develop proper abattoirs for the flow of meat to commercial outlets. "By doing this, we will ensure not only that our meats are handled under hygienic conditions, but will be able to trace every animal that enters the abattoirs," Dr. Tufton said during his contribution to...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, has noted that Jamaican primary producers are being "short changed" within CARICOM due to a subsidised agro processing sector in oil rich Trinidad and Tobago. He accused the subsidised agro processing sector there of "using raw materials imported extra regionally with unclear duty arrangements," adding that it is something that has...

Farmers of yellow yam in St. Ann are being urged to attend the training sessions being held to help improve productivity in the parish. The appeal has come from Manager for the St. Ann Branch of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Pedro Worghs, who told JIS News that a training session was held at a Food and Agriculture/European Union...

The Financial Access for Responsible Members (FARM) programme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is seeking to establish a platform that will yield significant post harvest benefits for farmers involved, as well as other stakeholders. Chief Technical Director, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Marc Panton. FARM, which commenced in November 2009, aims to enhance Jamaica's agricultural output by...

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Glendon Harris, has called on farmers to take advantage of support provided by organisations such as the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the JAS Association of Branch Societies, to improve production and productivity. "See how you can better utilise the input material made available through these support groups in order to get...

The Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), is assisting St. Ann farmers who experienced losses in Irish potato production, under the Financial Access for Responsible Members (FARM) programme. RADA Parish Manager, Pedro Worghs, told JIS News that owing to drought conditions and late planting, the farmers suffered low yields and were not successful in...