Hundreds of fishers from Parottee and Galleon in St. Elizabeth, who have been without electricity since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, now have access to solar-powered energy centres, equipped with refrigerated units to preserve their catch. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, on Friday (Feb. 6), officially handed over two renewable energy centres to the communities, which...

Chief Executive Officer of the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Dr. Gavin Bellamy, has expressed confidence that Jamaica’s tilapia industry can surpass its historical production peaks. While the sector reached a record high of approximately 7,000 metric tons in 2007, current output has declined to roughly 900 metric tons. Despite the decline, Dr. Bellamy maintains that the potential for a significant...

The Government is advancing plans to establish a 300‑acre aquaculture agro‑park at Amity Hall, St. Catherine, alongside the development of a Caribbean Centre of Excellence in Mitchell Town, Clarendon. These developments form part of the strategic measures being pursued to address challenges constraining the local tilapia industry and strengthen Jamaica’s aquaculture sector. State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries...

The Jamaica 4-H Clubs officially commenced training for the 2025/2026 cohort of the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (RYEEP) Builder, on (January 20). This marks a significant milestone in the organisation’s recovery efforts, following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa in October last year. Training was originally scheduled to begin in November but the organisation was forced to delay operations...

The National Irrigation Commission Limited (NIC) says ongoing drainage works in sections of Central and South St. Elizabeth helped to limit flooding during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28 last year. Director of Engineering and Technical Services at the NIC, Rohan Stewart, said during a recent JIS Think Tank that some areas that are traditionally prone to flooding...

The National Irrigation Commission (NIC) is intensifying its customer engagement efforts as the Essex Valley Agricultural Development Project in St. Elizabeth nears completion. This is to ensure that farmers in the region will be ready to benefit from improved irrigation services in 2026. Director of Commercial Operations at the NIC, Wayne Barrett, said that the Commission has been actively working...

The National Irrigation Commission Limited (NIC) has received funding of just over $107 million through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining to procure additional generators. This is aimed at strengthening the resilience of the country’s irrigation systems during periods of power disruption. The generators will improve the NIC’s capacity to maintain water supply to farmers, particularly following extreme weather...