Gradual Shift Must be made Towards Improving the Activities of Farmers – Dr. Tufton

Agriculture Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has said that a gradual shift must be made towards improving the activities of farmers, considering the many opportunities that are emerging especially with the expansion of the tourism industry and its requirement for fresh produce.
Dr. Tufton, who was speaking at the launch of the 2007 St. Elizabeth Homecoming celebrations last week at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, said that the major challenge facing the country’s sector is whether it can remain competitive over the next five years without radical changes.
“Part of the challenge that the farming sector faces in Jamaica today is that we have traditionally depended on the natural environment to create the final product for us. The new dispensation, which we are now forced to confront, is that agriculture is increasingly defined by technology and manipulation of the environment to forecast output,” he pointed out.
Dr. Tufton, who is also Member of Parliament for South West St. Elizabeth, lauded the parish’s farmers, noting that the sector is critical to the economic development of St. Elizabeth.
The 15th staging of the St. Elizabeth Homecoming celebrations will run from November 1 to December 6 under the theme: ‘Building Bess through partnerships’.
The observance is designed to highlight investment opportunities in the parish especially in the tourism and the agricultural sector; motivate and educate young people in the parish; showcase the culture and attractions of the parish; and encourage positive values and attitudes while promoting sports and athletics.
Highlights of the week will include a tourism and investment forum, farmer’s meeting, career fair and exhibition, road race, and a gospel concert slated for the Munro College in Malvern.