Disinfectant Mats To Be Installed At Norman Manley Airport
By: , January 23, 2020The Key Point:
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw (left) plants an East Indian mango tree with the help of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs Kingston Girl of the Year, Deja-Nai Grant (foreground, second left) and Food and Agriculture Representative to Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Belize, Dr. Crispim Moreira (foreground, right). Occasion was the launch of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) at Hope Gardens, St. Andrew, on Wednesday (January 22). Looking on (in background from left) are Chief Plant Quarantine and Produce Inspector in the Ministry, Sanniel Wilson-Graham; Deputy Programme Manager, CARICOM Secretariat, Dr. Richard Blair; Chairman of the Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum, Brian Crichlow; Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Representative in Jamaica, Dionne Clarke-Harris; and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) representative in Jamaica, Dr. Elizabeth Johnson.
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, greets Jamaica 4-H Clubs Kingston Girl of the Year, Deja-Nai Grant at the launch of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), at Hope Gardens, St. Andrew, on Wednesday (January 22).
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw ( right), engages with Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) representative in Jamaica, Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, at the launch of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), at Hope Gardens, St. Andrew on Wednesday (January 22).The Facts
- Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, made the announcement on Wednesday (January 22) at the Launch of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) at Hope Gardens, St. Andrew.
- He said that measure is being undertaken as a pilot exercise and is aimed at protecting the country’s agricultural sector.
The Full Story
Effective February 1, disinfectant mats will be installed at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston as part of the Government’s efforts to reduce the risk of plant and animal pests entering the country.
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, made the announcement on Wednesday (January 22) at the Launch of the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) at Hope Gardens, St. Andrew.
He said that measure is being undertaken as a pilot exercise and is aimed at protecting the country’s agricultural sector.
He noted that last January, the Ministry collaborated with the Trade Board to implement a mandatory pre-border sanitisation of used vehicles imported into the island in order to prevent soil, which is a major carrier of pests, from entering the country.
“The Ministry is also working with the Mexican Government and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on an Agriculture Canine Programme to help reduce the number of unauthorised plants and crops being smuggled into the country,” he said.
In addition, he said that the Plant Quarantine Act is being modernised to make it more comprehensive, and “soon Jamaica will have a modern plant health act in line with international standards”.
“We are also moving to modernise the Plant Quarantine and Produce Inspection Branch, which is our national plant-protection organisation, to better safeguard our country, agriculture and the environment,” he added, noting that the Research and Development Division is also being upgraded.
Minister Shaw said that protection of plant and animal health is everybody’s business and is a fundamental pillar for achieving the level of production and productivity needed for national food security and economic growth.
“We all have a stake and a responsibility in keeping Jamaica’s plants and agriculture healthy, and so we wish to engage all of us, every single Jamaican, to rally around the national drive,” he said.
He said that the observance of the IYPH provides an opportunity “to intensify our commitment to ensuring the health and wellness of plants and, consequently, of all living things on our planet”.
The year 2020 was declared the International Year of Plant Health by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, under the theme ‘Protecting Plant, Protecting Life’, and is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of protecting plants and agriculture.