Company Increases Onion Production And Shares Knowledge With Small Farmers

Increase in onion production, employment and the transfer of Israeli technologies to small farmers are some of the offerings that the Model Agricultural Production Limited in St. Catherine is delivering to the local farming sector.

The mega farm is in its second year of operation, and the company has committed to add the US$2.5 million that it has invested in the acquisition of equipment and irrigation facilities to boost production on more than 200 acres of land formerly used for the growing of sugar cane.

Managing Director of the company, Gideon Siterman, tells JIS News that the importance of the operation is job creation for Jamaicans is the transfer of knowledge by the sharing of “Israeli methodologies”.

“We are ready to commit ourselves to not only the supply [of onion] but to reduce import and to keep the prices down, so that the benefits will be transferred to the consumers,” the Managing Director says.

Prior to the establishment of the farm, investors facilitated training of its personnel in Israel to learn and work with technologies that are common-place in that country’s agricultural production.

Deputy Farm Manager at the facility, Princess Lee, informs that, traditionally, heavy clay is not a “soil recommended for the growing of onions, but with the technology and land practices introduced by our Israeli Farm Manger, we were able to loosen the soil and prepare it adequately for onion production, which was very successful this season”.

She shares that they have 25 employees, and during harvesting the number goes up to 70 persons and that 90 per cent of the company’s workforce comes from the surrounding communities.

The company has established a Technical Committee consisting of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), and input suppliers, who have regular sessions, so that they can pass on the knowledge to farmers.

Others on the team include representatives from Bodles Research Station, Newport Fersan and Carib Agro.

“They go out and execute the principles to the farmers, and we are going to be having farmers’ field schools, where we go to various farming communities and impart to organised groups what we are doing here,” she says.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says the company’s onion production yield is above “the world’s average” at 11 tonnes per hectare.

“That is very important for us. We believe that more can be done, and we want to encourage them to get those production levels up,” the Minister says.

Jamaica is producing about 30 per cent of onion demand, and the Ministry is targeting 100 per cent self-sufficiency in onion production under its Production Incentive Programme.

The Ministry is targeting a production of 20 tonnes per hectare in 2021/2022.

Mr. Green says there are tremendous opportunities for the production of onion and that the impact will only be felt when production levels are high.

“We want to continuously enhance the yield right across the country and take some of the learning to the communities,” he argues.

“The company has the ability to do a lot of tests and experiments, and we can take what they have done here and go to our small farmers who would not have the resources to put into experimental plots,” the Minister says.

The company has put a hundred acres of land in the production of onion, scallion, pumpkin, and will shortly put another 50 acres into the growing of sweet potato.

“I am very impressed with what I have seen,” the Minister says.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer of RADA, Peter Thompson, notes that the agency has been alongside the professionals at the entity and grasping the technology.

“I strongly recommend that our local farmers get this technology,” he says.

“One of the challenges that our farmers face is the resources that they would need to do a production of this nature, but you can start on a small scale and go up gradually,” Mr. Thompson tells JIS News.