Sydney Pagon STEM Academy to Produce Items for School Breakfast Programme

The Sydney Pagon Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy in St. Elizabeth is to become a hub for the production of items for the breakfast feeding programme for primary schools in the northern section of the parish.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, J. C. Hutchinson, said the institution, which sits on over 200 acres of land, has the capacity to produce vegetables, poultry, milk and other items.

“They have the layers, the broilers (chicken), the cows for the milk in ample amounts, which can be supplied to other schools. We want to have a breakfast programme in every one of the primary schools,” he said.

Minister Hutchinson was speaking to JIS News on Friday (February 10) following an extensive tour of the school.

He noted that the Ministry will be supporting the school “in getting all aspects of production in full force in short order to ensure that the hub can be established as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Minister Hutchinson informed that a partnership has been forged with fish producers Algix Jamaica Limited to resuscitate the fish ponds at the school.

“Algix has actually come in and they are now going to be assisting them with fingerlings and they are also going to be helping them with some training,” he said.

He noted that there over 2, 000 acres of fish ponds throughout Jamaica that are lying idle and the Ministry will be working with Algix to get them back on stream “and get the industry going again.”