Trelawny Farmers Recovering from Hurricane Ivan

Following the agricultural damage caused by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, farmers in the parish of Trelawny have recommitted themselves to the task of replanting crops, which are vital to the nation’s food security.
The Trelawny Branch of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) is determined to assist those farmers in the replanting and marketing of their crops.
Parish Manager for the JAS, Bevolyn Harvey told JIS News that the JAS’ Central Marketing System had been very effective in the parish. “We have been marketing crops for those farmers on the south side. Crops such as sweet potato, yam, cabbage and pepper have been marketed to the Super Club chain of hotels and the many Super Plus Supermarkets,” she said.
She stated that farmers on the southern side of the parish have been benefiting from the system and that the JAS would soon be focusing on the farmers in lower Trelawny.
She pointed out that the Society was in the process of distributing relief items such as vegetable seeds and farm tools to farmers in the parish who suffered losses as a result of the passage of the hurricane.
Noting that a total of 725 farmers had already received relief assistance, Ms. Harvey said that they were grateful for the provisions. “These farmers, through the various JAS groups in the parish, have received fertilizers, machetes, hoes, pickaxes, carrot seeds and pakchoi seeds among other items,” she said.
She noted that the JAS would be working closely with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in the parish to ensure that farmers register for the Agro Business Information System (ABIS) so that they would be able to access receipt books from the JAS.
“After the farmers register with RADA they will have to come to us at the JAS in order to access their receipt books. These receipt books will be sold to the farmers at a minimal cost and it is to help them in the marketing of their crops,” she explained.
She urged the farmers to become members of the JAS as the Society was willing to work with them to help market their produce and access field training.