Shaw Says He is Ready to Make a Difference
By: , April 3, 2018The Key Point:
Photo: Michael Sloley
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw (second right), views food items on display at the St. Mary Agricultural Show at the Gray’s Inn Sports Complex in Annotto Bay on Monday (April 2). At right is Chief Executive Officer, Rural Agricultural Development Authority, Mr. Peter Thompson, and at third right is Member of Parliament, South Eastern St. Mary, Dr. Norman Dunn.The Facts
- “This is my third full day on the job, and I want to say how inspired I feel, having gone to both the Agricultural Fair at Montpelier and now in Annotto Bay. I really feel inspired as your new Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries,” the Minister said.
- He added that he is also pleased with the agencies Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has given him to lead, such as the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), the National Irrigation Commission Limited, the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (Ex-Im Bank) and also the agro-parks.
The Full Story
The new Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, says he is ready to make a difference in the sectors.
Speaking at the St. Mary Agricultural Show at Gray’s Inn Sports Complex in Annotto Bay, on Monday (April 2), Mr. Shaw said he is very comfortable with the new portfolios he has been given to manage.
“This is my third full day on the job, and I want to say how inspired I feel, having gone to both the Agricultural Fair at Montpelier and now in Annotto Bay. I really feel inspired as your new Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries,” the Minister said.
He added that he is also pleased with the agencies Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has given him to lead, such as the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), the National Irrigation Commission Limited, the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (Ex-Im Bank) and also the agro-parks.
Mr. Shaw said agriculture is something he has always been passionate about since he was a teenager.
“When I was an 18-year-old schoolboy in Christiana, I was member of the 4-H Clubs. I was President of the 4-H Club at Holmwood Technical High School and I went to Denbigh and entered the Boy of the Year Competition, and I came third. Then I became the National President of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs in 1970,” he said.
Mr. Shaw said since his appointment, he has been impressed with the potential for growth in the agricultural sector and the interest of the nation’s youth to invest their money and effort into planting crops and manufacturing items from the country’s raw materials.
The Minister said with the achievements and experience garnered as the former Minister of Finance and the Public Service at the macro level, he will now focus on the microeconomy.
“The microeconomy is where every citizen can find an opportunity somewhere to be more productive and to make a decent living. A big part of Jamaica’s solution to move from poverty to prosperity must be for us to take agriculture seriously,” he said.