The region’s capacity to protect crop production has been strengthened following the establishment of a new seed facility at the Bodles Research Station in Old Harbour, St. Catherine. Funded by the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), the new seed facility will facilitate storage of seeds in good physical and physiological condition from the time they are harvested until the...

More than $2.6 billion has been set aside to continue the Essex Valley Irrigation Infrastructure Development Programme. Details of the provision are contained in the 2022/2023 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The programme aims to assist in achieving food security and modernisation of the agricultural sector by increasing the area under formal irrigation in St. Elizabeth...

More than $1.3 billion has been allocated for the Southern Plains Agricultural Development Project, which aims to provide access to irrigation water on fallow sugar lands, to increase agricultural productivity through the modernisation of the agricultural sector. Details of the provision are contained in the 2022/2023 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project includes construction of...

The Government of Jamaica has allocated $105 million for the rehabilitation of select facilities at the Bodles Research Station, which will directly impact the level of support given to farmers. Details of the project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, are provided in the 2022/2023 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The...

A sum of $150 million has been budgeted for the Modernisation of the Agricultural Sector Programme. The objective of the project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, is to increase agricultural productivity and income for beneficiary smallholder farmers. Details are outlined in the 2022/2023 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Among the...

The Government has allocated $65 million for the Soil Fertility Mapping Project, which aims to increase the productivity and quality of agricultural produce. Details are outlined in the 2022/2023 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, seeks to optimise farmers’ profits and enhance farming efficiency...

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says the poultry industry is being targeted as a priority area in achieving the goal of self-sufficiency in food production. “As we (seek) to move our country towards ensuring food security for the Jamaican populace, we continue to make the industry one of the main priorities for growth,” he said. The Minister...