The St. Catherine-based ‘Williams Farm’ has been putting fresh, locally grown food on the tables of Jamaicans for generations. Now its youngest proprietor, Trey Williams, has decided to carve out his niche in the family business by focusing his efforts on tilapia farming. Under the keen maintenance of the 26-year-old, the family’s farm boasts 13 one-acre fishponds, each containing about...

The Hope Royal Botanical Gardens in St. Andrew, commonly called Hope Gardens, is being hailed as a natural treasure that should be protected and preserved for the benefit of generations to come. The over 200-acre property, which was part of a sugar plantation and the original water supply source for Kingston, is an important historical site, with buildings and artefacts...

The House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 19) approved a measure to declare Rio Cobre an irrigation area. The Rio Cobre (Irrigation Area) Order, 2022 will expand the locations across the island where the National Irrigation Commission (NIC) is providing irrigation services. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. said that increasing irrigation areas is part of measures...

New Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says he is fully prepared to give of his best in serving the twin sectors that play a major part in sustaining the food needs of the Jamaican people. In an interview with JIS News, Minister Charles Jr. points out that he will be leading the charge to rebuild and strengthen...

Fifteen fishers from the Greenwich Town fishing village in Kingston are now the beneficiaries of new boat engines, which will enable them to expand their capacity for income generation and employment. The engines were provided under the Government of Jamaica’s Integrated Community Development Project II (ICDP II), which is being executed by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). They will...

Food safety is paramount to the health of the nation, and the Veterinary Services Division (VSD), in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, plays a significant role to ensure this is achieved. The VSD is responsible for the administration of animal health programmes, veterinary certification of animals and animal products. Chief Veterinary Officer at the VSD, Dr. Osbil Watson, tells...

Stakeholders in the Jamaican fisheries sector can expect significant improvements in the services they receive from the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), when the new web-based Fisheries Licensing and Registration System is implemented. Speaking with JIS News, Senior Fisheries Officer at the NFA, Ian Jones says that the system will reduce the processing time for applications. He states that the Authority...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says praedial larceny continues to be a growing concern, and that there will be a zero-tolerance approach going forward and that offenders can expect to face the full brunt of the law. The Minister, in pointing to a number of high-profile arrests in recent weeks involving the theft and recovery of livestock,...