Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda, says his mission is to see Jamaica producing enough surplus in all agricultural areas, leading to exports and an increase in the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). “All that we do is dependent on the extent to which we can produce more, and we must produce more at a level...

The HEART Trust/NTA has developed five courses aimed at ensuring competency in bamboo harvesting and processing. This is in keeping with the Government’s move to embark on the large-scale commercial production of bamboo in order to tap into the lucrative international market and provide opportunities for employment and community-based initiatives. The courses are bamboo ply technology, bamboo charcoal processing, bamboo...

Eighty young people from communities in and around Peckham, Clarendon, have been trained and certified in the production of bamboo by-products, including the infusion of bamboo in light-emitting diode (LED) technology. The training was conducted under the Peckham Bamboo Project, which is being undertaken through US$130,000 from the Organization of American States (OAS). The Embassy of China also provided $1.5...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) held a training session for farmers in Manchester and St. Elizabeth on October 23, to remind them of the best practices to prevent the resurgence of the Beet Army Worm (BAW). The session was held at the New Forest/Duff House location on the border of both parishes, where the pest has impacted some crops,...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, has re-emphasised the need for farmers to officially register with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), in order to benefit from State programmes. Addressing farmers at a National Irish Potato Stakeholders’ Seminar, in Claremont, St. Ann, on October 18, Mr. Hutchinson said agriculture is a...

Director General in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Vivian Brown, says the Government remains committed to the growth and development of cooperatives, as these entities are critical to Jamaica’s social and economic development. Addressing a stakeholder conference staged by the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies (DCFS) in Montego Bay today (October 19), Mr. Brown said cooperatives...

History was created on Wednesday (October 18) with the issuing of the first two licences by the Cannabis Licensing Authority of Jamaica (CLA) for local entities to legally operate in the cannabis industry. Everyting Oily Labs was presented with a processing licence, while Epican received a licence for cultivation, during a press conference held at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce,...