St. Catherine Farmers Hailed For Boosting Food Production

St. Catherine farmers have been commended for their efforts in boosting the production of crops like onions and sweet corn to enhance national food security.

“This comes as no surprise, considering the work we have been doing in the parish,” said Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter.

“For example, we supported over 250 livestock farmers and more than 1,500 crop farmers with farm inputs and land preparation as part of Hurricane Melissa relief efforts,” he noted.

Mr. Witter was addressing the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Praedial Larceny Sensitisation Session at Linstead Anglican Church in St. Catherine on Thursday (Feb. 26).

He reported that through the Drought Mitigation Programme, the Government has provided over 45 water tanks and drip irrigation systems to farmers in the parish.

Additionally, four water harvesting ponds were constructed within the last financial year, with plans to build more.

“We also distributed 500 bags of Irish potatoes to farmers in the parish. Most importantly, we have conducted more than 150 formal training sessions since the start of the year and over 300 informal sessions. These activities, ladies and gentlemen, have led to a marked increase in production,” Mr. Witter said.