Caribbean News
Agriculture and Community Tourism Enterprises to Benefit from Budget Allocation
#Jamaica, February 23, 2022 – Agriculture and community tourism enterprises are to benefit from capacity-building exercises and the provision of seedlings and chemicals under the Rural Economic Development Initiative II, in the new fiscal year.
An allotment of $677.45 million has been provided in the 2022/23 Estimates of Expenditure to facilitate these and other interventions under the project, which seeks to enhance access to markets and to strengthen climate-resilient approaches for targeted beneficiaries (rural enterprises).
The funds will also be used to rehabilitate the St. Mary multipurpose cooperative cold-storage and post-harvest
Up to December 2021 under the project, a community tourism seminar was facilitated; a contract was signed for a capacity-building consultant and personal protective equipment (PPE); seeds and chemicals were provided to stakeholders; coronavirus (COVID-19) resilience and capacity-building exercises were provided for agriculture and tourism enterprises; and a virtual training on COVID-19 prevention and response, which targeted consultants, contractors, purveyors and Government partners, was also facilitated.
In addition, the preliminary design of the St. Mary Multipurpose Cooperative Rehabilitation and Photovoltaic System was completed, the final design of the Plumwood Pumping Station Photovoltaic System installation was also completed, a contract was signed for a consultant to undertake the design of Agro-Invest Corporation’s irrigation infrastructure, and a contract was signed for an agri-business consultant.
The project is being implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with funding from the Government of Jamaica and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
It is slated to last from February 2020 to December 2025.
Contact: Alecia Smith
Release: JIS