Tourism Ministry Hands Over 50 Water Tanks To Farmers In Short Hill, St. Elizabeth
By: , March 6, 2022
Photo: Okoye Henry
Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (second left), interacts with farmer from Short Hill, St. Elizabeth, Nicolea Scott (right), as she explains the mechanics of the irrigation system on her farm. Looking on (from left) are: Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Floyd Green; Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Witter (third from left); and Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Dr. Carey Wallace.
Photo: Okoye Henry
Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (second left), is joined by (from left) Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Floyd Green; Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Witter; and Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Dr. Carey Wallace, in symbolically handing over 50 650-gallon water storage tanks to President of the Short Hill Farmers Group, Bobsie Muir, for farmers of the St. Elizabeth community on Friday ( March 4).The Full Story
Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, on Friday (March 4), handed over 50 water storage tanks to farmers of the Short Hill, St. Elizabeth.
The 650-gallon tanks were procured through the Tourism Linkages Network (TLN) division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and forms part of a $4 million three-month training and support initiative for farmers in the area.
The storage tanks were connected to new and existing irrigations systems to counteract drought conditions in the farming community, in a bid to increase crop yield to better supply the booming tourism industry.
In his address, Mr. Bartlett pointed out that 42 per cent of expenditure of visitors worldwide is on food, as such there needs to be ongoing strengthening of the local tourism and agriculture linkage to meet this demand.
“The demand that they [tourists] bring for food is huge, and our job is to supply the demand,” he said.
The Minister added that “if we produce the food in Jamaica, you know how much of that money stays here? If we are able to increase this volume to provide more acreage [and] use better technology, we can increase the supply and productivity levels.”
Mr. Bartlett said Jamaica earned US$2.7 billion from tourism last year, and is projected to generate some US$3.1 billion this year.
“That will be only US$600 million less that where we were in 2019. So, you see the opportunity for agriculture and you must recognise it because, as we grow and recover, so must we grow with our ability to supply on the demand of tourism,” he stated.
The Minister added that “we are excited about the prospect for Jamaica, now, taking a new lease on life on the matter of supplying against the demand for tourism, particularly in agriculture.”
For his part, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Witter, lauded the Tourism Ministry for the donation, noting that the tanks will assist in creating new linkages that both sectors need to thrive.
He assured that the farmers will deliver on producing the crop quantities and qualities necessary to further supply the Tourism industry.
Secretary of the Short Hill Farmers Group, Pearline Vassell, stated that farmers from the community were “grateful” for the water storage tanks which, when coupled with their irrigations systems, will help to produce crops year-round on their farms.