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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...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, has encouraged Jamaicans to substitute local produce for those in short supply due to the recent weather conditions, rather than turn to imported foods. He was speaking on Tuesday (October 26), at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries' quarterly press briefing at its Hope Gardens headquarters in Kingston. Dr. Tufton said...

Agricultural production is showing a 5.8 per cent increase for the July to September quarter, when compared with the corresponding period for 2009, with domestic food crop production up by 13.5 per cent. The figure represents a 16 per cent increase over the April to June quarter, which was plagued by severe drought. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr....

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, has said that farmers must be on the cutting edge to remain viable in a market driven largely by quality and competition from others players. Delivering the main address at the official opening of the Hounslow Research Centre and Demonstration Plot, St. Elizabeth on Saturday, October 24, Mr. Golding stressed that all aspects of...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, says that if Caribbean states import less and produce more for domestic and regional use, the agricultural sector could contribute significantly to its economic prosperity and development. He was speaking, in his capacity as Chairman of the Alliance for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milleu, during the Caribbean...