The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is reporting major growth in domestic food production for the first quarter of the year. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr, said preliminary estimates for January to March, indicate an increase of 10.5 per cent over the corresponding period in 2021. “This is encouraging and reflects a continuation of the growth trend over the...

The Scientific Research Council (SRC) will continue to support the agricultural sector, with the aim of boosting Jamaica’s food security. The assurance comes as the agency works to increase its supply of disease-free plantlets for what it describes as economically important crops. These include pineapples, ginger, and Irish and sweet potatoes. Farmers can also add more plants to the list,...

The more than 1,400 residents of the farming community of Troy in Trelawny, now have easier traverse following the rehabilitation of two roads at a combined cost of $106 million. The work was executed by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) under the ninth cycle of the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) and involved improvement of the one-kilometre Common Road...

Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) operators in the agricultural and fisheries sector have received training through the Jamaica Business Development Corporation’s (JBDC) formalisation project. The project, ‘Formalising Operators in the Jamaican Agricultural and Fisheries Sector’, benefited 100 operators across both sectors, who received training in transitioning their businesses and employees from an informal to a formal state. Details were...

The 13 investors selected to engage in production at the Toll Gate Mango Agro-Park in Clarendon have each committed to investing at least $20 million in their projects. Selected from 55 applicants, the 13 large investors will cultivate East Indian and Saint Julian mangoes on the 935-acre property managed by the Agro-Invest Corporation. The mangoes are for export markets in...

The Government continues to invest in the future of agriculture, with the recent handover of 20 lease agreements to youth and selected Mango Agro-Park investors. Facilitated through the Agro-Investment Corporation (AIC), participants will engage in agricultural activities linked to crop production. Activities will be spread across several agro-parks and agro-economic zones, to include the Ebony Park Agro-Park in Clarendon, Amity...

Nine women working in agriculture were recognised at the Agriculturalist’s Distinguished Women in Agriculture Awards Ceremony, for stellar contributions to the sector. Women account for roughly 32% of registered farmers in Jamaica and have made noteworthy impact in the areas of veterinary medicine, beekeeping, fisheries and agribusiness. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., in his address at...