State Minister Says Farming Is Big Business

The agricultural sector is growing by leaps and bounds, to the point where farming is now big business, says Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter.

Mr. Witter, who was speaking to farmers, food vendors and other stakeholders at the Hanover Agricultural Show 2023, in Lucea, Hanover, on May 26, said that it is within this context that the Ministry is urging more Jamaicans to get involved in the sector, calling it “viable and honourable”.

He pointed out that in 2022, the sector registered a 9.9 per cent growth in domestic production, moving from 770,456 tonnes in 2021 to 846,508 tonnes in 2022, making it the seventh consecutive quarter of growth recorded for the sector.

“I am very proud of what our farmers have on display here today. It is clear that we take our farming very seriously here in Hanover,” Mr. Witter said, adding that “you (farmers) have been part of the great increase that we have seen in domestic crop production”.

“We know that when our farmers are equipped with the right tools and working material… they make smart decisions. There is also a clear indication that our farmers in this region, and by extension the entire Jamaica, are now looking at farming as big business… something that will enhance their livelihoods,” he added.

The State Minister noted that the days when agriculture was frowned upon and considered [a distant relative] have long gone, adding that “today farming is done by men, women, youth, and even persons with disabilities”.

“There was a time when the perception was that farming was simply about an old man in a straw hat carrying a machete. What we are seeing today is a different picture. The average age of farmers has now moved down from 71 to 45 years old, and this is way above the average right across the world,” he said.