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More Support For Farmers Through Buy-Back Programme

February 12, 2021
More Support For Farmers Through Buy-Back Programme
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, addresses the virtual launch of the Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE) partnership on February 11.

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Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Government will continue supporting farmers by purchasing excess agricultural produce, through the Buy-Back Programme.

Addressing the virtual launch of the Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE) partnership, on February 11, Mr. Green said $60 million has been earmarked for the programme as well as initiatives targeting women and youth in agriculture.

Of the $60 million, the Government is injecting $35 million, while the remaining $25 million will be provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“This quarter, we have put $35 million towards buying back agricultural produce and we have [received] great support from the FAO, who have committed for this quarter $25 million to help us not only buy back excess agricultural produce, but specifically to target youth and women farmers,” he said.

The Buy-Back programme aims to purchase excess produce from farmers and assist those who are unable to sell excess produce due to the downturn in hotel operations caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe. The assistance programme also aims to redistribute the excess produce from farmers.

The Minister further informed that assistance is being provided to farmers in St. Elizabeth, who are grappling with an oversupply of tomatoes.

“Our team from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) are in St. Elizabeth purchasing over 10,000 pounds of tomatoes through a partnership with a purveyor from Glastonbury Purveyor Company to remove some of that excess produce and provide resources to our farmers and minimise their loss,” he said.

Mr. Green noted that worldwide, data indicate that approximately 14 per cent of the food produced for human consumption goes to waste each year.

The Buy-Back initiative commenced last year with the injection of $240 million and forms part of the Government’s strategic programme of supporting farmers who have been impacted by COVID-19.

Through the programme, the Ministry has partnered with several organisations, including purveyors and distributors, as well as processors, to redistribute the supply.

The Ministry also arranged mobile farmers’ markets to sell the excess produce and coordinated the distribution of produce to quarantined communities for farmers who donated their excess supply.

Meanwhile, Mr. Green said the launch of the SAGE partnership is integral, as it focuses on providing skills in agro-processing, in partnership with HEART/NSTA Trust- Ebony Park, Moneague College as well as Niagara College, Canada and College of the North Atlantic.

“The HEART/NSTA Trust has been a tremendous partner. We have partnered with them over the years to provide significant training services relevant to the agriculture and fisheries sector, and we see this programme as another initiative which directly aligns with the goals of the Ministry and one that would be of tremendous value to our sector,” he said.

The project’s goal is to develop an Agro Food Processing Associate Degree programme at the Moneague College and a preparatory programme at the Ebony Park Academy, geared especially towards adolescent girls, women, youth and the vulnerable population.

The $15-million SAGE programme is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada. SAGE will help Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica and St. Lucia become more resilient by supporting demand-driven technical and vocational education training (TVET) in key economic sectors associated with climate change in the Caribbean.

Last Updated: February 12, 2021

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