The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is aiming to employ the sterile insect technique (SIT), through the Plant Quarantine Produce Inspection (PQPI) unit, to reduce the island’s fruit fly population. This technique involves the mass production and release of sterilised male insects into the wild, where they mate with wild females but produce no offspring, thereby reducing the overall...

The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) is inviting persons to attend the Westmoreland Agricultural Show on Sunday, June 2, beginning at 8:00 a.m. The event will be held at the Bay Road Sports Complex, Bay Road, Little London, in the parish. Westmoreland Agricultural Show Committee Chairman,  Pius Lacan, told JIS News that  patrons can expect several agricultural and industrial displays by...

 

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) will host the St. Elizabeth Agri Fest at the Social Development Commission (SDC) Sports Complex in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth, on May 31, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Speaking with JIS News, Director of Public Relations and Communication at RADA, Camille Beckford, said the show has grown over the years to become a highly anticipated...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is encouraging farmers to ramp up mitigation strategies to control the beet armyworm population in their fields. The beet armyworm, which develops into a moth commonly called the Small Mottled Willow Moth, is one of the most popular agricultural pests. Senior Plant Health and Food Safety Officer with RADA, Francine Webb, told JIS News...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining will be hosting the 11th Tephritid Workers of the Western Hemisphere (TWWH) conference from June 3 to 7, at Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters, in Montego Bay, St. James. Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, which are pests that limit fruit and vegetable production and exports. This...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, is encouraging more young people to pursue a career in agriculture, noting that the Government will fund their studies. He said that students can access support through the recently announced $100-million annual scholarship programme. “We are also building on the Rio Tinto/Alcan Legacy Fund Agriculture Scholarship,” he noted. The Rio Tinto/Alcan...