Clarke Encourages Food Festivals Organisers to Collaborate with Ministry

Agriculture and Lands Minister, Roger Clarke, has called on organizers of food festivals to collaborate with the Ministry in the planning process, in order to reduce costs and ensure a greater level of success.
The Minister, who was speaking at the second staging of the Ackee Festival at the Dinthill Technical High School in Linstead, St. Catherine, on August 1, said that too often organizers planned events without consulting with the Ministry or collaborating with other food festival organisers.
“If the organizers pool their resources and hire one person or organizer with a proven track record, costs would go down dramatically. Organizing the festival would be done professionally and with the Ministry’s stamp of approval, the recognition level would be higher,” he said.
Mr. Clarke pointed out that non-cooperation was one of the major deterrents in the agricultural sector, and urged organizers to “break that cycle”, so that the participants, communities and the country could benefit.
“Food festivals are good for the economy,” he said, noting that these fell under the Ministry, no matter what form they took.
“Agriculture accounts for more than five or six per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as it impacts on agro-processing, transport, commerce, tourism and so many other areas of the economy,” he added.
The ackee festival was organised by the Linstead Area Development Committee.