Farmers Association Launches Radio Station

The Jeffery Town Farmers Association (JTFA) in St. Mary has launched a community radio, JET FM 88.7, which will seek to air the “voices from the hills of St. Mary,” President of the association, Wordsworth Gordon has said.
He told JIS News in an interview that the initiative for JET FM 88.7 came about as a long searching avenue to get the young people of Jeffery Town involved in agriculture.
“The opportunity arose through UNESCO for the radio station, so we grabbed at it as it was an avenue where we would have the young people running the station and eventually be earning an income from it,” Mr. Gordon said.
“We also needed a radio station to disseminate information as to best agricultural practices as well as information on marketing and pricing,” he said, explaining that the radio station would allow for the airing of the farm prices for various products, hence vendors would be able to bargain for themselves.
He also noted that the radio station would seek to foster greater community spirit and selfworth and that it would be a major educational tool in the provision of information on environmental matters and social issues.
Giving the charge at the official launch of JET FM 88.7 on May 27, was the Dean, Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of Technology (UTech), Dr. Carol Archer.
“I charge you that you hold yourselves accountable, you hold your organization accountable and you hold your representatives accountable, so that this development will be sustained,” Dr. Archer said.
Meanwhile, residents were excited about the launch of the radio station in Jeffery Town.
Tanya Chin, youth member of the JET FM team told JIS News that the radio station was a blessing to the young people in the community.
“Most young persons in this rural part of St. Mary do not have the opportunity or never had the opportunity to be on a radio station or even work with such high-tech equipment. It is voluntary work and we are gaining experience and empowering ourselves, so when we go out there we have something good to put on our curriculum vitae,” she said, and thanked the JTFA for providing such an opportunity for young people in Jeffery Town.
Community member, Oneil Paddyfoot said that the idea of a community radio station was a very good one.
“I like to see this thing that is going on, this radio station, because it is a nice thing in the community. It helps to develop the community and I like that. We can benefit from it because any thing that we have to announce, we can come out here and do our thing, so I believe that it can work,” he said.