Roads to Be Improved Under EVADP in St. Elizabeth

More than 23 kilometres of road is set to be improved as part of the ongoing Essex Valley Agricultural Development Project (EVADP), in St. Elizabeth.

This was noted by Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, during a tour of the project on November 10.

“This is the largest infrastructure project that the Government of Jamaica has done for agriculture and irrigation, and one of the critical components of the project is the improvement of the road network; over 23 kilometres in the project area is set to be improved,” Mr. Green told JIS NEWS.

The EVADP is being funded through a grant of more than £35 million from the United Kingdom (UK) Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund and administered by the Caribbean Development Bank.

It is spearheaded by the National Irrigation Commission (NIC) and the Agro-Investment Corporation, with support from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the HEART/NSTA Trust.

Minister Green noted that the Essex Valley area will be the island’s largest agro-economic zone with its own agro-economic park.

“A lot of what we saw on tour is the infrastructure to support that. We are focusing on renewable energy, we are focusing on storage, packaging, everything that is needed to ensure that we have a highly efficient productive zone,” he said.

“Of course, the NIC will be the entity that is charged with providing the water, and we have already done pipe wells which will serve this area, so we are looking forward to the completion of this project,” the Minister added.

Project Manager for the EVADP, Petronia Colley, explained that the roadwork will facilitate improved accessibility for produce going in and out of the area.

“We are rehabilitating roads and constructing new roads. The level and quality of work being undertaken by the contractor of the project, M & M Jamaica Ltd., also spans the delivery of irrigation systems within the space,” she noted.

State Minister in the Agriculture Ministry and Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth Southeastern, Hon. Franklin Witter, emphasised that the project will significantly improve development of agriculture in the area.

“South St. Elizabeth and South Manchester are two of the largest areas in terms of agricultural production, and this project is going to be a game changer within these communities,” Mr. Witter said.

“The residents are excited; they are prepared and ready to go in terms of an increase in productivity. So, this project, I believe, is going to create great wealth for the people of Southeast St. Elizabeth and South Manchester,” he added.