Office Opens for Essex Valley Farmers Benevolent Society

St. Elizabeth farmers who operate under the Essex Valley Agro-Economic Zone have received a major help, as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has formally opened an office for the Essex Valley Farmers Benevolent Society, through the Agro-Investment Corporation (Agro-Invest).

This was coupled with the handover of farm equipment and supplies, aimed at helping them prepare for irrigation water under the incoming Essex Valley Agriculture Development Project (EVADP).

The milestone was celebrated at the Essex Valley Agro Processing Facility during a handover ceremony, on Wednesday, September 2.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, said the new office space will provide the more than 283 registered members of the Essex Valley Farmers’ Benevolent Society with a permanent base to organise and coordinate as the Zone develops.

“It is the farmers who must drive agriculture. It is the farmers, after the Government has put in the infrastructure, who must take the business of agriculture in this Zone seriously. We find that this is critical if we’re going to be successful,” Mr. Green explained.

He said that the Government is taking a farmer-centric approach ahead of the completion of the EVADP.

The Minister noted that more than 350 farmers have already applied for irrigation water, 40 of whom have paid and are awaiting collection. He added that training in post-harvest handling and food safety has also been ongoing throughout the project rather than left until its completion.

To ensure farmers are production-ready once water becomes available, the ceremony saw the handover of black water-storage tanks, drip irrigation kits, walk-behind tractors, weed whackers, chainsaws and fertiliser.

The Minister indicated that the drip kits would promote efficient water use, while the smaller tractors would help offset labour shortages in land preparation.

“We are removing some of the barriers because we want to get this area up as quickly as possible,” he said.

He added that Agro-Invest would provide free land-preparation assistance to some farmers, while large-scale land preparation would receive government support.

For his part, Secretary of the Essex Valley Farmers Benevolent Society, David Wilson, said he was grateful to the Ministry, Agro-Invest, and other partners for their support.

He noted that the office space and the resources donated would help farmers recover from the severe impact of Hurricane Melissa and strengthen their capacity to keep producing despite the ongoing drought conditions in the parish.

Mr. Wilson reminded farmers that this support comes with responsibility and urged them to care for the resources and use them wisely for long-term opportunities in the sector.