St. James RADA Office to Set Up Agro-Business Incubator

The St. James office of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is moving to set up an agro-business incubator at its headquarters in Catherine Hall.

RADA St. James Parish Agricultural Manager, Sadie Dixon Bennett, told JIS News that work on the facility is scheduled to get underway shortly.

She explained that the incubator will be fully equipped to facilitate agro-processing. Farmers and other persons will also be able to access training in value-added production to start their own businesses.

“Our small producers, housewives, and small agro-processors will make use of this facility, which will have all the necessary machines and equipment in place for processing. We are hoping that these producers will come in, use the facility and we can encourage them through training,” she said.

She pointed out that RADA has been offering training on how to add value to farm products and the initiative has been bearing fruit.

“Through our Social Services/Home Economics Unit, we train the housewives. There are farm groups in communities in St. James and whatever is grown or produced in those communities, we use those products to teach…how they can add value to these products and how they can start their own small business,” she pointed out.

She informed that an agri-mart has been set up at the Catherine Hall facility, which provides a ready market for some of the value-added products.

Meanwhile, RADA is on a mission to increase the number of youth farmers in the parish with students being encouraged to participate in their school garden projects.

Mrs. Dixon Bennett said that RADA also continues to register farmers through its Agricultural Business Information System (ABIS).