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(FILE) A St Elizabeth farm with the new method of watering by drip irrigation, fed from the black tanks.

Farmers Encouraged to Use NIC Services

The National Irrigation Commission (NIC) is urging farmers to access their irrigation services for their crops. The call comes in light of the recent drought conditions caused by below-normal rainfall, which has left many farmers across the island vulnerable. Many...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (second right), looks at the colourful display of fruits and vegetables at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority’s (RADA) St. Elizabeth ‘Agrifest’ at the Social Development Commission (SDC) Complex in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, on June 9. Looking on are (from left): Director of Minerals, Land and Environmental Management in the Ministry, Dorlan Burrell; RADA’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Winston Simpson; RADA St. Elizabeth Deputy Parish Manager, Jermaine Wilson; and RADA St. Elizabeth Parish Agricultural Manager (Acting), Mark Lee.

Gov’t Boosting Irrigation In St. Elizabeth

Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter (centre) and President, Kingston and St. Andrew (KSA) Association of Branch Societies (ABS), Albert Green (left), peruse a document during the organisation’s annual general meeting at the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions office in St. Andrew on Monday (June 12). With them is the organisation’s Chairman, Lansford Moore.

PHOTOS: Farmers in Kingston and St. Andrew Hailed for Making Significant Strides in Production

Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Franklin Witter.

Farmers in Kingston and St. Andrew Hailed for Making Significant Strides in Production

Chief Technical Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Courtney Cole, addresses stakeholders participating in a food-loss and waste-reduction technical workshop at the Ministry’s Hope Gardens offices in St. Andrew on June 8. At right is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representative for Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Belize, Dr. Crispim Moreira.

PHOTOS: FAO Hosts Food Loss and Waste Reduction Workshop

Regional Consultant on Food Systems and Governance at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Sara Granados Ortiz.

3 years ago Agriculture

Agricultural Stakeholders Benefit from FAO Workshop

Twenty stakeholders in the agricultural sector have received technical support through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to manage Food Loss and Waste (FLW). At a workshop held on June 7, focus was placed on waste and loss management related to harvest and postharvest production, distribution and commercialisation. Regional Consultant on Food Systems and Governance at...

State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter (left), engages with a student at the HEART/NSTA Trust Ebony Park Academy, Shavana Ellis (right), while touring booths at a World Milk Day function held on Thursday (June 1) at the Sydney Pagan STEM Academy in St Elizabeth. Looking on is Principal, Sydney Pagan STEM Academy, Milbert Miller (second left).

3 years ago Agriculture

Almost 10 Per Cent Growth in Milk Production Last Year

New product development and innovative practices in the dairy industry resulted in an almost 10 per cent increase in the nation’s fresh milk production last year. State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter, in making the disclosure, said Jamaica produced 12.4 million litres of milk in 2022, which is an improvement of 1.1 million...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (left), plants spice seedlings along with United States Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Nick Perry (centre), and President and Chief Executive Officer, Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA), Sylvia Megret. Occasion was the launch of the Food for Progress Jamaica Spices project at the AC Hotel by Marriott Kingston on Thursday (June 1).

3 years ago Agriculture

Jamaica Must Re-establish Its Prominence in the Global Spice Industry – Minister Green

The time has come for Jamaica to re-establish the prominence of its renowned spices – turmeric, ginger and pimento – on the global stage, says Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green. Speaking on Thursday (June 1) during the launch of ‘Food for Progress Jamaica Spices’, a partnership with the United States of America to revitalise Jamaica’s spice...

Praedial Larceny Prevention Coordinator, Kalecia Hall, says the Praedial Larceny Prevention Unit is working with the farmers on how to help protect their farms.

3 years ago Agriculture

Government Ramps up Sensitisation Sessions to Tackle Praedial Larceny

The Government has ramped up sensitisation around farm-safety procedures, in light of the increase in praedial larceny in recent weeks. Coordinator in the Praedial Larceny Prevention Coordination Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Ms. Kalecia Hall, told JIS News that the monthly sensitisation sessions are “dictated based on where the reports come from or farmers who contact...

3 years ago Agriculture

Project to Revitalise Spice Industry to Launch Thursday

Food for Progress Jamaica Spices, a four-year undertaking aimed at revitalising the island’s spice industry, will be launched on Thursday (June 1). The project, which is slated to run until 2027, is aimed at increasing yields of turmeric, ginger, and pimento on 2,250 hectares of land by 50 per cent, resulting in $20.7 million in sales and $14.5 million in...

Minister Without Portfolio in the Office of the Minister, Hon. Robert Morgan (right), feels a handful of the granular fertiliser produced by Newport-Fersan (Jamaica) Limited (NFJ), during a tour of the company’s plant in Kingston on Tuesday (May 30). Assisting the Minister is Plant Manager, NFJ, Matthew Leon (left), while partially hidden at centre is Managing Director, Dennis Valdez.

3 years ago Agriculture

Free Technical Assistance Available to Farmers Through Newport-Fersan

Farmers across the country can benefit from complimentary training seminars and field appraisals by agronomists through one of Jamaica’s largest manufacturers of fertilisers, Newport-Fersan (Jamaica) Limited (NFJ). The seminars, which are facilitated online on Wednesdays cover several areas, including the production of vegetables, roots, tubers and condiments. Minister Without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Robert Morgan,...

Vendors at the Hanover Agricultural Show in Lucea, Hanover, on May 26.

3 years ago Agriculture

State Minister Says Farming Is Big Business

The agricultural sector is growing by leaps and bounds, to the point where farming is now big business, says Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter. Mr. Witter, who was speaking to farmers, food vendors and other stakeholders at the Hanover Agricultural Show 2023, in Lucea, Hanover, on May 26, said that it...