Rehab Work at Bodles To Boost Production

The Research and Development Division in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has once again stated its commitment to expanding production to meet growing demands.

Part of efforts involve continued rehabilitative work being done on research stations, with works at Bodles to wrap up later this year.

Principal Research Director (Acting) for the Research and Development Division in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Michelle Sherwood, says stakeholders’ interest remain a top priority.

“We now have improved facilities, so that we can be able to provide more of our offerings,” Mrs. Sherwood said, in an interview with JIS News.

She elaborated on how the new provisions at the Bodles Research Centre in Old Harbour have helped production.

“With the new space, we have actually expanded the production of a lot of our planting materials. However, we still have a higher demand than we’ve been able to meet. At the moment, we’re expanding our ability to meet the needs of the farmers and our stakeholders,” she said.

In these instances, Mrs. Sherwood noted that farmers are rerouted to other entities within the ministry, like the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), that can offer support.

“Here at the Research and Development Division, we continue to expand our role and we are better able to provide the service that we are known for. Our main thrust has been research and we also have been providing clean plant material, both seeds and cuttings.” she explained.

To prevent the spread of pests and plant-threatening diseases, access to the use of clean planting material is important to crop production.

In the meantime, Mrs. Sherwood shared that farmers welcome the developments.

“I think persons have been saying ‘it’s about time’, actually. We have for many years been asked to do research, and the name of Bodles, unfortunately, has not been where it should be. But with this project, we now have the necessary facilities, and what we’re delivering is now able to change the perception,” she expressed.

The rehabilitation of the Bodles Research Station reflects the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry’s focus on research as a critical approach to strengthening the sector.

Just over $766 million dollars has already been spent over the past five years to improve the facilities at Bodles.

The objective of the Research and Development Division is to generate cost-effective technology for improvement of agricultural production.

The Division operates four sub-programmes, including Livestock Research and Improvement, Crop Research and Development and Plant Protection, and Post Entry Quarantine.