Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says poultry farmers have commenced benefitting from the Ministry’s $50 million subsidiary programme, aimed at minimising production costs. Mr. Charles said while the Ministry is committed to facilitating the poultry industry’s expansion, if the price of chicken meat becomes “astronomical” then “we have to protect Jamaicans”. He was addressing the Middlesex...

Vice President of Marketing at Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) Gabriel Heron, says increased investments, coupled with greater use of technology such as greenhouses and hydroponics, can result in major transformation of the agriculture sector. He made the remarks on Thursday (February 3) while addressing a virtual webinar focusing on ‘Technology-Driven Agriculture Business: Boosting Production, Driving Export Sales’. “There is the...

The Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry’s Redevelopment of Research Centres Project will enter its second phase in September of this year. Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, Project Manager, Paulette Lyons-Dodd, said that phase two of the project will involve the rehabilitation of four facilities across the island over the period 2022/2023 to 2027/2028. “We will be focusing on the...

The Jamaican coffee sector will receive support to boost export into the European market through a joint project between the Government and the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Carib-Export). The initiative aims to bolster the productivity and export competitiveness of local coffee within the European Union (EU). Speaking at the launch held on Thursday (January 27) at the Ministry of Foreign...

President of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA), Norman Grant, says the Association is engaged in several processes that should increase the export of coffee over the next five years. “We have engaged the new Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and out of a coffee workshop [with the] Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) we have developed a plan to...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says that research and development is among his strategic priorities to ensure a resilient and sustainable sector. “One of my focal points, priority areas will be to enhance the research and development capacity within agriculture and fisheries. Looking at strategies to boost production and productivity, our natural assets and putting that...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is in dialogue with stakeholders in the poultry industry, with a view towards implementing strategies to reduce the level of increase that is passed on to consumers. Making a statement in the House of Representatives on January 25, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., said the Ministry is exploring several practical solutions within the...