Caribbean News
Jamaica Domestic Crop Production Decline
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#Jamaica, June 12, 2023 – The foreseeable future for Jamaica’s domestic crop production is looking somewhat dim as it is on track to record a decline for the 1st half of the year.
The prolonged drought which started last year was fingered as the culprit for the anticipated decline as highlighted by Floyd Green, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining, who made the announcement during the recent staging of the annual Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, hosted by the Kingston and Saint Andrew Association of Branch Societies of the Jamaica Agriculture Society at the playfield of the ministry’s Hope Gardens office.
He said the drought is affecting Jamaica’s farmers despite the effort of the Ministry to quell its impact, further highlighting that “the first quarter of this year will record a decline.”
“In fact, based on the figures that I have already started to peruse, we will see, at minimum, a nine per cent decline in production in the first quarter of 2023, and I do expect that in the second quarter, we will see further declines in relation to agricultural production, largely because of the drought,” he added.
Green pointed to statistics highlighting the seriousness of the drought and emphasizing the magnitude of its impact.
He revealed that last October, at the start of the dry period, the country recorded a 21 percent decline below the annual mean average of rainfall. It persisted for the rest of the year into 2023 with 33 percent less rain in December, 68 percent less in January, and 72 percent less in February.
However, efforts are being made by Green to mitigate drought effects as he said he has directed Dermon Spence, Permanent Secretary to call an urgent meeting of all of the heads of agencies to have talks about resources into drought mitigation. He expressed that this is in addition to the $200 million already allocated.
These efforts are of great importance amid the arrival of the El Niño Phase. It is important to note that even though the past couple weeks have seen wet weather, the region has not yet escaped the possibility for extensive drought, given the dual nature of the El Niño period which according to Cedric Van Meerbeeck, Climatologist, the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, can either bring suppressed rainfall or a boost in rainfall.
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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