South St. Elizabeth Farmers Grateful for Assistance
By: , July 6, 2023
Photo: SERENA GRANT
Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter (second from left) and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Hardware and Lumber (H&L) Agro, Olive Downer Walsh (second from right) present farm supplies to South St. Elizabeth-based farmer, Henrick Francis (centre) during an official handover ceremony held at the Bull Savannah Church of God of Prophecy in the parish on June 29. Also taking part in the presentation are (from left) Chief Technical Director at the Ministry, Orville Palmer; and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Winston Simpson.
Photo: SERENA GRANT
Farm supplies, which were donated to farmers in South St. Elizabeth who suffered losses due to recent heavy rains. The items, provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Mining, through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), in collaboration with various entities, were handed over during a ceremony held at the Bull Savannah Church of God of Prophecy on June 29.The Full Story
St. Elizabeth farmer Howard Powell has received much-needed assistance to “pick up the pieces” after his fruit and vegetable crops were washed away during heavy rains in June.
The farmer, who plants watermelons, tomatoes and sweet peppers, told JIS News that he lost everything.
“When the rains came, I had melons that were above five or six weeks old on about half an acre, and the rain just washed it away. I was left with just a few rows [of watermelons] to reap.
“When I reaped them, they weren’t any good, they were waterlogged; a lot of spoilage. Now I am just trying to pick up the pieces and restart,” Mr. Powell said.
He is among 30 farmers from the southern section of the ‘bread basket’ parish, who lost crops and livestock during the heavy rains that have been provided with inputs and supplies by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), in collaboration with various entities.
The items, which include seeds, irrigation supplies, fertilisers, chemicals, farm tools, among other things, were handed over on June 29 at the Bull Savannah Church of God of Prophecy in the parish.
The donor entities include Hardware and Lumber (H&L) Agro, Newport-Fersan (Jamaica) Limited, Food For the Poor, Caribbean Chemicals Jamaica Limited and St. Jago Farm and Hardware Supplies Limited.
Mr. Powell said that the farmers are grateful for the supplies they received to assist in the recovery effort. He thanked the various entities for their support.
“We, as farmers, really appreciate it and it’s a very good gesture because a lot of us didn’t have [what was needed] to restart and I think [the items] will go a long way,” he told JIS News.
Mr. Powell said he is especially thankful for the seeds, because “without seeds, you can’t start [to replant]”.
Collin Bruce, a farmer from Bull Savannah, said that all his tomatoes and watermelons were destroyed.
He expressed gratitude for the fertilisers and chemicals given.
Approximately 1,500 crop and livestock farmers across the island were affected by the heavy rains and are benefiting from support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in collaboration with various partners.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Franklin Witter, in his remarks at the ceremony said that the farmers remain resilient and are making every effort to “rebuild and restart”.
He thanked the various entities for collaborating with the Ministry to assist the farmers, noting that the support will expedite the recovery process.