RADA Working with Farmers in St. Mary to increase Pepper Production

The St. Mary Office of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), has been working closely with the farmers of that parish to increase the cultivation of pepper.
Victor Edwards, RADA Parish Manager for St. Mary, told JIS News that hot pepper was one of the crops being targeted for cultivation in the parish under the Ministry of Agriculture’s Domestic Food Crop Programme.
Mr. Edwards said the market for pepper was good, both locally and internationally, and that commitments have been received from Cottage Industries Limited in Walkerswood, St. Ann, for the provision of contracts to farmers in St. Mary who could supply the company with pepper in suitable quantities.
He pointed out that RADA would be establishing a pepper nursery as an income generating project, as well as to promote the planting of the crop as a viable economic venture. He added that some of the major areas of concentration in the venture included Mason Hall, Highgate, Belfield and Warwick Castle.
Mr. Edwards said that RADA would continue to provide technical assistance to enable St. Mary to maintain its record as one of the major pepper producing parishes in the country.
The Parish Manager noted that pepper cultivation was also being carried out in the parish under the Eastern Jamaica Agricultural Support Project (EJASP), in order to provide additional opportunities for farmers of the parish and to maximise the potential for pepper production.