Food Security The Ultimate Goal For MOAF
By: February 18, 2022 ,The Full Story
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (MOAF) Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says the Government is committed to achieving food security on the island.
“Our goal is to ensure that we can achieve the ultimate goal of food security, meeting our local production demand and getting to the point where we can be able to support the expanding hotel industry, as well as international markets,” he said.
Mr. Charles was speaking to JIS News during a tour of small and large Irish potato farms in the parishes of St. Ann and St. Mary on Wednesday (February 16).
The Minister toured farms in communities such as Hinds Town, Tyndale, Whitehall in St. Ann, and New Pen in St Mary.
He outlined that, “what we are seeing is a mixture of small and large farmers, all who are seeing, interacting with and getting support from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in terms of technical support…and this is going to assist us in achieving our ultimate goal of advancing food security… moving beyond 70 per cent, and looking now to diversification… (to see) how can we move towards Jamaica looking at agro-processing for Irish potatoes and other produce.”
The Minister noted that the island’s produce is in high demand, and as such, the Government has an “enormous task and we are ready and pushing to attend to that task.”
As part of the tour, signage for the New Pen Agricultural Production Zone in St. Mary was unveiled. The Agro-Investment Corporation in the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry was granted management responsibility for the agricultural area which covers approximately 850 acres of land. Thirty-eight investors were identified who have been cultivating on the land prior to the Corporation’s management. All 38 investors have now been formalised.
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Robert Montague, who is also the Member of Parliament for Western St. Mary, told JIS News, that “the New Pen property is one of the oldest farmers’ corp that exists in the Caribbean…. [and] the Government has now sent in Agro-Investment Corporation to regularise the farmers and to get them sorted out properly and to give support.”
“The [New Pen] road was repaired under the Farm Road Rehabilitation Programme, so the government is committed to assisting the farmers, doing the things for them that they cannot do, like repairing the road,” he said.
Accompanying Mr. Charles on the tour of the farms were Minister of State in the Agriculture Ministry, Hon. Franklin Whitter; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dermon Spence; and several RADA personnel.