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100-ACRE ACKEE AND MANGO ORCHARD TO BE ESTABLISHED AT EBONY PARK IN CLARENDON

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MANDEVILLE, October 16 (JIS): The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has announced the establishment of a 100-acre orchard, comprising 50 acres of ackees and 50 acres of mangoes, on lands at Ebony Park HEART/NSTA Trust in Clarendon.

This aligns with the Ministry’s food security strategy, which is key to growing the agricultural sector. Climate change, global warming and other challenges have made it imperative that Jamaica keeps abreast of the latest in technological advances in the industry.

Speaking at the national ceremony in observance of  World Food Day, at Ebony Park in Clarendon, on October 16, State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Franklyn Witter, said plans for the orchard form part of the Administration’s New Face of Food Initiative.

“The Ministry will support this institution in establishing 100 acres of fruit trees, comprising 50 acres of ackees and 50 acres of mangoes. The demand for ackee worldwide is tremendous and we want to see Jamaica reach the point where we are able to satisfy international demand for that product,” Mr. Witter  said.

Mr. Witter said all fields will be equipped with a comprehensive irrigation system to ensure optimum water and nutrient management and that inter-cropping of vegetables will be practised in all fields.

“The Ministry will provide, free of cost to the institution, all fruit trees, all seeds required, irrigation hoses and accessories, assistance with land preparation, technical advice and training,” he said.

Mr. Witter pointed out that youth involvement in agriculture cannot be overemphasised and must remain in  sharp focus by any government that wants to achieve results in the sector, adding that 20 per cent of what the Ministry does involves the youth.

Meanwhile, the State Minister also informed that research centres have been relaunched islandwide to become Centres of Excellence that address areas such as research and development infrastructure, technology, commercialisation, industrial strengthening and capacity development within the agricultural sector.

“If we are to improve access to food and facilitate a better life and better future, we must recognise the development of our young people. Our educational institutions play a major role in achieving this and I commend Ebony Park for its role in shaping our young people to become exceptional agriculturalists, agro-processors, extension officers and more,”  Mr. Witter said.

Also addressing the ceremony on behalf of Alexis Bonte, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative for Jamaica, The Bahamas and Belize was Danalyn Swaby.

She said the theme, ‘Right to Food for a Better Life and Future – Leave no one Behind’, was a call to action challenging everyone to reimagine food systems worldwide, where everyone can enjoy the basic human right to healthy, diverse foods that sustain both body and community.

“This is a vision that the FAO is committed to achieving and actively pursue in partnership with the Ministry. Their leadership and collaboration are instrumental in advancing our shared goal of food security and sustainable development,” she added.

Ms. Swaby noted that the FAO’s role in Jamaica spans key areas of collaboration, such as enhancing market access, building resilient rural livelihoods, and safeguarding the sustainability of livestock, land use and more, geared at creating stronger, more inclusive systems that benefit all Jamaicans.

For her part, Lisa Hope Shirley, who read a message from the Custos of Clarendon, Hon. Edith Chin, said that while the world’s farmers produce enough food to feed the global population, some 783 million people still face hunger daily, even when some of them come from agricultural households caught in a cycle of inequality, economic downturn and climate crises.

“These challenges reflect a widening gap both within and across nations and it is up to us to take bold steps in closing those gaps. This year’s theme underscores the importance of diversity, not just in our communities but in our fields, fishing nets and in our markets. We need to make sure that safe, nutritious and affordable foods are accessible to everyone,” the Custos’ message read.

At the ceremony, a group of Clarendon greenhouse farmers from Prolific Greenhouse Farm, who lost everything during Hurricane Beryl, were presented with  supplies and irrigation material to help them produce crops in time for the Christmas season.

 

CONTACT: BARBARA ELLINGTON

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U.S. Virgin Islands Sets New Tourism Record in 2024, Welcoming Unprecedented Visitor Numbers

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January 12, 2025

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St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands — The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism proudly announces new record-breaking passenger arrival numbers, which highlight the continued growth of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John as a leading tourism destination.

Closing out the year on a high, December 28 recorded 4,606 passenger arrivals, surpassing the single-day arrival record set earlier in March 2024. This achievement also led to a new weekly passenger arrival record, with over 24,000 arrivals, marking a 5.92% increase over the previous record.

“As a destination, we continue to explore, elevate, and improve, which further supports the ongoing goal to build upon our commitment to be a premier Caribbean destination,” shares Commissioner Joseph Boschulte of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism.

In 2024, combined airline arrivals at Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix totaled 932,265 passengers. This figure surpassed the previous record set during the COVID-19 pandemic by over 100,000 passengers and represented a 16.5% increase compared to 2023.

The newly released numbers culminate a year of exponential tourism growth for the U.S. Virgin Islands, including a record-breaking month of arrivals in March with 106,026, and the introduction or return of airline routes from American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country, and United Airlines.

The Territory also experienced a significant boost in cruise passengers, welcoming 1,770,922, resulting in a 9.8% increase compared to 2023. This growth was driven by the maiden voyages of several ships, including Scarlet Lady, Icon of the Seas, Disney Treasure, Explora I, Sun Princess, Explora II, Emerald Azzurra, Celebrity Apex, and Rhapsody of the Seas. The increase in cruise arrivals highlights the ongoing efforts of the Department of Tourism and local partners to strengthen and foster relationships across the industry.

In addition to welcoming more visitors, the territory also received several prestigious industry honors, including:

“As we look to 2025, we will continue to push the creativity of our marketing strategies, which includes advertising, social media, public relations, and partnerships to connect with and keep the U.S. Virgin Islands top of mind for new and returning travelers,” adds Commissioner Boschulte.

Commissioner Boschulte and the Department of Tourism team continue to set their sights on an ambitious future, positioning the U.S. Virgin Islands as the premier destination for travelers seeking natural beauty, cultural richness, and warm hospitality.

For more information about the U.S. Virgin Islands, please visit https://www.visitusvi.com/.

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CARPHA and TEPHINET Sign MoU to Increase Technical Skills of Public Health Professionals in the Caribbean  

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2 days ago

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January 11, 2025

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Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) renewing their commitment to increase the skills of public health professionals in applied epidemiological interventions, including outbreak detection, emergency response and surveillance analyses.   

Field epidemiology is often described as “applied” or “intervention” epidemiology. It seeks to rapidly address priority public health issues in the community by using the appropriate resources and epidemiologic methods to investigate a problem and make recommendations for public health action, for immediate and longerterm control and prevention.

Dr Lisa Indar, Ad Interim Executive Director, CARPHA reiterated the importance of Field Epidemiology Training Programmes (FETPs) to the Region, ”CARPHA’s novel FETP has the laboratory component added to it and is regarded as a ‘boots on the ground’ programme. It has built much needed human resources capacity for health (HRH) in the small island developing states of the Caribbean.  Participants’ work contributes to the strengthening of the national public health system as a whole, by providing evidence-based information for public health action”.

Dr Carl Reddy, Programme Director, TEPHINET expressed his satisfaction with the outcomes of the regional programme, “TEPHINET is proud to have the Caribbean Regional FELTP as a member of its global network, given the sterling job that it has done in building field epidemiology capacity in an underserved region susceptible to climate change and prone to public health emergencies such as natural disasters”.

Dr Laura Lee Boodram, Head, Caribbean Regional Field Epidemiology and Lab Training Programmes (CRFELTP), CARPHA said, “The tiered training programme is based on a model of building practical competencies, which enables trainees to apply classroom-based learning to solve real world situations”. CR-FELTP training content and learning projects address priority public health issues in the Caribbean, such as communicable and non-communicable diseases including HIV/AIDS; emerging health threats including Chikungunya and Ebola viruses; and laboratory surveillance.

Key objectives of the MOU are:

  • Developing public health human resource capacity through Field Epidemiology Training (FETP)
  • Implementing, following up and supporting epidemiological surveillance activities in communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, injuries and emergency preparedness and response
  • Promoting networking opportunities to support further programme development and sustainability
  • Collaborating holistically by coordinating efficiently on activities, identifying synergies, optimising resources and opportunities, and mitigating contradictory or duplicative efforts.

In January 2017 a technical partnership was formed between Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC)/TEPHINET and CARPHA in order to implement Frontline training as a pilot initiative, against the framework of the CR-FELTP.  To date, 18 CARPHA Member States have benefitted from the Programme.

 

Background:

CARPHA is the sole regional public health agency for the Caribbean, legally established in 2011 by an Intergovernmental Agreement signed by the Caribbean Community member states. CARPHA is responsible for providing strategic direction and analysing, defining and responding to the public health priorities of the Caribbean in order to prevent diseases, promote and protect health and to respond to public health emergencies.

TEPHINET, formed in 1997, is a professional network of 83-member field epidemiology training programs (FETPs) working in more than 100 countries. With a mission to empower and mobilise a competent field epidemiology workforce to serve all people through standardised training, experiential learning, training program quality improvement, mentoring, and knowledge exchanges in order to connect epidemiologists better, faster, and with quality across the globe.

 

Photo Captions

Header: Dr Lisa Indar, CARPHA Ad Interim Executive Director signs the MOU between CARPHA and TEPHINET to strengthen public health and disease surveillance systems management in the Caribbean, while Dr Mark Sami, CARPHA Director Corporate Services looks on

Insert: Dr Carl Reddy, TEPHINET Programme Director, at his office in Atlanta, GA, after signing the MoU between TEPHINET and CARPHA

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Turks and Caicos Featured as Top Beach Destination on the Today Show

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5 days ago

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January 8, 2025

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Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands — Visit Turks and Caicos Islands (VisitTCI.com) played a pivotal role in showcasing the natural beauty of the Turks and Caicos Islands during a feature on NBC’s TODAY show on Monday morning (January 6th). The segment, which aired to millions of viewers across the United States, highlighted iconic destinations like Grace Bay Beach, Water Cay, and West Harbour Bluff, using exclusive content from VisitTCI.com.

During the segment, host Al Roker praised the islands as “one of [his] favorite spots beach-wise” and reaffirmed their inclusion in Travel + Leisure’s 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025.

This feature continues Visit Turks and Caicos Islands’ ongoing commitment to promoting the country globally. The website has recently undergone significant enhancements to deliver an even richer experience for travelers, including redesigned homepages, new interactive features such as video overviews of featured hotels and resorts, and an 8% expansion in original content. VisitTCI is the largest source of authoritative Turks and Caicos content, with more than 1,100 in-depth articles and 6,000 high-quality original photos.

“VisitTCI.com has always been about providing the most accurate and engaging travel information for the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said Daniel J. LeVin, Executive Editor of VisitTCI.com. “Our partnership with NBC TODAY and the recognition from Travel + Leisure reflects the hard work we’ve invested in elevating TCI to one of the world’s top vacation destinations.”

The platform’s dedication to excellence has also earned partnerships with top international publications, including National Geographic and Condé Nast Traveler. Visit Turks and Caicos Islands is TCI’s largest and most-visited website.

You can watch a recording of the segment at NBC.com: https://www.today.com/video/top-travel-destinations-hidden-gems-to-visit-in-2025-228564037644

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