Sweet Potato Festival in Manchester October 28

The 3rd annual South Manchester sweet potato festival will be held at new Broughton this Friday, October 28, beginning at 10:00 a.m.,br>President of the South Manchester Sweet Potato Growers Association, Dundee Hewitt told JIS News that the event was a very good way of galvanising support from the local farming community.
“Our association wants to motivate farmers to produce much more of the staple. Our long term objective is to raise the consciousness of people in regard to the importance of the crop, especially as it relates to opportunities in the agro-industrial and export sectors,” he said.
Mr. Hewitt explained that the format being used for the day would be that of a “village fair”.
“There will be demonstrations on the use of the versatile sweet potato, and there will be an inter-school competition. The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), through its branch societies, will also be a very important part of the mix,” he said.
Mr. Hewitt said that in addition, a number of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jamaica 4-H Clubs would be on hand to take part in the activities.
“If you love to eat sweet potato or love to sample the many different dishes and drinks prepared from the staple, then you must come out and spend the day with us,” he said.
Mr. Hewitt pointed out that most of the proceeds derived from the activity would go towards setting up a processing facility to serve the needs of farmers in the area.
“We strongly believe that agriculture is the backbone of our nation and that there are many opportunities that exist once more value is added by processing of the primary product for the local and export markets,” he argued.