Caribbean News
JAMAICA: “Farm It or Lose It” – Minister Hutchinson
#Jamaica, May 14, 2018 – Kingston – Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, is urging persons who have leased lands at agro parks to get them into production or risk losing them. He lamented that scores of farmers are in need of lands for productive purposes, while persons are holding hundreds of acreages of government lands without farming them.
“Farm it, or lose it,” he warned, noting that “if you don’t have it in production within six months, we are taking it back”.
The Minister was addressing the 21st Annual General Meeting of the Small Ruminants Association of Jamaica held on (May 10) at the Bodles Research Station in Old Harbour, St. Catherine.
The Minister called on the farmers to increase production, noting that the Government is looking to expand the small ruminants industry as part of measures to ensure food security.
He noted that the Ministry is continuing the breeding programme at the Hounslow Animal Research facility in St. Elizabeth, where rapid multiplication of improved genetic material is done and distributed to farmers across the island.
“As we continue to pursue new technologies to improve our breeding stock, six local technicians will be trained in non-surgical embryo transfer technologies during the month of June,” he indicated.
The Minister told the farmers that some 10,500 hectares of lands in St. Catherine, and Clarendon will shortly be available for lease to farmers, which can be used in the cultivation of feed in order to cut the high cost for processed imports.
Citing the model being used in the poultry industry, where companies provide guaranteed markets through contracts and technical advisory services to small farmers, Mr. Hutchinson said that this could be replicated to expand production in the small ruminants industry.
Release: JIS
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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