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As Jamaica weathers the current economic challenges, key leaders must understand their role in working to overcome the difficulties that have been created, according to Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton. The minister, who was the keynote speaker at a Manchester Chamber of Commerce function at the Golf View Hotel, Mandeville, on Thursday(February 5), said that with sound policy direction...

The Ministry of Agriculture will be establishing pepper mashers, in an effort to satisfy the increasing demand for mashed hot peppers in the agro-processing trade. Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton, said the Ministry, through its Agricultural Support Services Project (ASSP) unit, has written a proposal to secure funding for one such facility, which would be operated as a business....

The Coffee Industry Board (CIB), held a successful meeting with coffee farmers to address several burning issues affecting the sector, Tuesday, (Feb. 3). Chief among the issues were the pricing of coffee, production levels, pest management, fertiliser and continuous training for farmers and growers. Director General of the CIB, Christopher Gentles, told JIS News that he was pleased with the...

Several parcels of land, suitable for rice farming, have been identified across the island, with adequate water resources in place to carry out the activity. "However, there will need to be some rehabilitation of the infrastructure, because we have been out of rice farming for quite some time, so we need to rehabilitate what we had before," said Investment Officer...

Nine pepper nurseries have been established by the Ministry of Agriculture, as part of its initiative to help farmers meet the demand of the agro-processing trade, and for sale on the domestic market. The seedlings to be produced are scotch bonnet and red peppers. The project is managed by the Agricultural Support Services Project (ASSP), supported by the Inter-American Development...

The 5th Hemispheric Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture, which will address strategic issues and specific mandates related to agriculture and rural life in the Caribbean, Central and South America, will be held in Montego Bay, St. James, in October. Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), which are the lead institutions for the...

Head of the Sugar Enterprise Team, Aubyn Hill, has pointed out that a deal for privitisation of the five state-owned sugar factories was not signed with Brazilian company, Infinity Bio-Energy, as anticipated, because drastic changes in the world economy had rendered the company unable to finalise the arrangement with the Government of Jamaica. Addressing a post-Cabinet press briefing, at Jamaica...

The Government is to establish a task force, comprised of bauxite/alumina industry stakeholders and the Opposition, to monitor developments in the industry. The Office of the Prime Minister(OPM) said last night that Prime Minister Bruce Golding made the announcement at a meeting with the stakeholders at Jamaica House. OPM also stated that Mr. Golding gave "complete assurance" that the Government...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, will be conducting a pre- selection exercise for the farm work component of the Overseas Employment Programme, from March 16 to 27. "This means that we will be going islandwide to pre-select persons who will be suitable to work on the farm work programme, so that when the overseas employers submit requests for...

The Jamaica Fishermen Co-op Union and Norwegian firm, Wavefield Inseis, have signed a compensation agreement, which will offer protection to fishers during the undertaking of offshore seismic operations in Jamaica's territorial waters. The agreement was signed by Chairman of the Jamaica Fishermen Co-op Union, Honeyghen Havelan, and Operations Manager of Wavefield Inseis, which will carry out the activities, Francis McLaughlin....

Issues relating to sugar, such as the need for close collaboration between the Jamaican industry and Caribbean partners, will be discussed by Directors of the Sugar Association of the Caribbean, who will deliberate at a two-day meeting at the Terra Nova Hotel, in Kingston, beginning on February 5. Executive Chairman of the Sugar Industry Authority, Ambassador Derrick Heaven, said this...

The registration of farmers in St. Thomas, under the Ministry of Agriculture's Farmer Registration Programme, is currently having a success rate of 80 per cent.. Parish Manager at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) office in St Thomas, Caswell Glover, told JIS News at a Coffee Industry Board Farmers Meeting, at Hayfield Square, that of about 8,000 targeted farmers, over...