JAS Lauded for Advancing Agriculture and Rural Development

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Professor Kenneth Hall has lauded the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), for its continued efforts in advancing agriculture and rural development.
In his address at the Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show in May Pen, Clarendon on August 6, the Governor-General said that the JAS, through the staging of the Denbigh show, has transformed the agricultural sector into an industry, which not only “supplies our local needs and fuel our exports”, but one that also “encourages research and scientific development”.
Another significant achievement of the agricultural show, Professor Hall said, was the involvement of farmers and stakeholders from across the region. He added that the forging of these linkages was proof that, “what we do in agriculture is not limited to the boundaries of Jamaica”.
Against this background, the Governor-General charged the JAS to “build on its solid achievements”, and continue with its efforts “to make Denbigh a viable market for all its exhibitors as well as a forum in which new agro-business initiatives can be explored and opportunities on the CARICOM Single Market can be fully realized”.
In regard to rural development, the Governor-General used the occasion to launch the ‘Rural Development Plan of the Jamaica Agricultural Society’, which is geared at creating opportunities and generating wealth in the rural communities of Jamaica.
The initiative, Professor Hall outlined, “is an indication that the JAS has again sought to make rural development and agriculture, an investment in Jamaica”.
This new initiative by the JAS will be executed under the theme: ‘Agriculture and Rural Development.Creating the Future by Investing in the Present’.