Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says the government has put in place interim protocols to facilitate the cultivation and processing of psilocybin mushrooms, also known as ‘magic mushrooms’ in Jamaica. “What we have been doing with the team is really looking at how can those who want to participate in the industry at least know the protocols...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, is advising small ruminant farmers that creating their own cocktail of medicine to treat parasites in animals is not sustainable and will lead to greater production costs. “In Jamaica, we hear from our farmers the stories that there is significant resistance to the main classes of drugs available for treatment, and as...

The Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ) Holdings Limited has been instructed to form a lease management unit that will better manage arrangements made for the lease of agricultural lands in the Greater Bernard Lodge Development. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the disclosure during a press conference at SCJ Holdings Limited in St. Catherine on Friday (June 25),...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says a water-retention pond will be constructed to hold 10 million gallons of irrigation water for farmers in the Greater Bernard Lodge Development. Approximately 1,300 acres of land is being reserved in the development for small and medium-sized farmers. The Prime Minister was addressing a press conference at SCJ Holdings Limited in St....

Senior Veterinary Specialist, Veterinary Services Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Suzanne McLennon-Miguel, says continuous collaboration between ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) is crucial in the development of effective food-safety control systems locally. Speaking with JIS News, she said that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have established strategic food-safety plans that they...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says the proposed agricultural wardens programme will be piloted shortly as the Government intensifies measures to protect farmers against praedial larceny. He said that the wardens will have power of arrest. “We want to get people on the ground, just like the district constables, but they (agricultural wardens) will be tasked with...

The country’s fisherfolk and farmers can now access insurance coverage for vessels, vehicles and accessories through Advantage General Insurance. The insurance package, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, was launched during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday (June 22). It is the first of its kind in the industry and will provide fishers registered with the National...