St. Elizabeth farmer Howard Powell has received much-needed assistance to “pick up the pieces” after his fruit and vegetable crops were washed away during heavy rains in June. The farmer, who plants watermelons, tomatoes and sweet peppers, told JIS News that he lost everything. “When the rains came, I had melons that were above five or six weeks old on...

The Government has furthered efforts to boost the country’s food security with the announcement of $35 million in support for the Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement (JOAM). Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter, made the announcement on Thursday (July 6) during the organisation’s annual ‘Farming as a Business’ conference at the University of...

Some 30 farmers in South St. Elizabeth, who suffered severe losses during recent heavy rains, have received essential inputs and supplies to assist in the recovery effort. The items, which were handed over at the Bull Savannah Church of God of Prophecy in the parish on Thursday (June 29), included seeds, irrigation supplies, fertilisers, chemicals, farm tools, among other things....

Jamaica has called for increased action to help small-scale food producers implement effective adaptation practices to strengthen resilience and reduce their vulnerability to climate change. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, the Hon. Floyd Green, in making the call at the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) High-Level Ministerial Event in Rome on Thursday (June 29), said that resource constraints have...

More local fruits and ground provisions will be able to reach international shores, as Jamaica now has export market access to several additional countries. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, said among these is Barbados for pineapples. “We [also] now have market access to Cayman for frozen ackee, soursop, sweetsop, breadfruit, plantain, yam, sweet and Irish potato....

The Rudolf Elder Park in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, came alive on Friday (June 23) as scores of persons turned out for the 22nd annual parish agricultural show. The free event was staged by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) St. Thomas parish office in association with H&L Agro under the theme, ‘Advancing Agriculture through Resilient Farmers: Grow Smart, Eat...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Mining says it will continue scaling up onion production in St. Thomas, even as it notes that farmers there have been mastering the growing of the crop. Speaking on Friday (June 23) during the parish’s annual agricultural show at the Rudolf Elder Park in Morant Bay, State Minister, Hon. Franklin Witter, said that for the...