#Kingston, April 15, 2022 – Farmers are being invited to seize the upcoming opportunity for learning and networking, at the virtual Agribusiness Investment Forum, on Thursday, April 21.

Hosted by the Agro-Investment Corporation, the Forum aims to attract 1,000 participants to engage in discussions on investing in Agriculture. Invited guests will gather at The Jamaica Pegasus to discuss matters relating to financing for agribusiness, access to government land and export opportunities. Chief Executive Officer at the Agro-Investment Corporation, Dr. Al Powell, said the aim of the virtual Forum spans specific focus areas. “It is to facilitate the positioning of agriculture as a viable alternative to any other business, get stakeholders to realise their objectives in agriculture and for the Agro-Investment Corporation to help them along the journey. If we can do these things, we will be on our way to making greater contributions to our gross domestic product (GDP),” he said.

Dr. Powell was speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’, today (April 12). The forum is being held under the theme ‘Investment in Agriculture – Driving Food Security’. Persons will be able to join via Zoom and it will last from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Dr. Powell said the focus of the forum aligns with the increased emphasis of the Government on food security.   “When we look at prices, our food import bill and the number of persons who don’t have regular access to nutritious food stuff at a reasonable price, we feel there is a need to further market and develop production, to see what we can do along the value chain,” he said.

Meanwhile, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Thinking and Practice at the UWI, Mona Campus, Dr. K’adamawe K’nife, said the forum will help to share vital information to agriculture stakeholders.

“For instance, the Ministry has an agricultural services unit which offers support to people to get incentives to take in things, such as drip systems and equipment. Those are done with concessions and can benefit our registered farmers, but a lot of registered farmers don’t know about these things,” he added.  Dr. K’nife also said the forum will be extremely useful in providing a platform and opportunity to network.

“Remember, your network is equivalent to your net worth and so people who are not connected will always remain disconnected, because they will not know who to turn to. The forum is going to be a nice beacon of light to people out there who are searching,” he argued. The Agro-Investment Corporation is mandated to promote and facilitate large-scale agricultural investments. The agency is also tasked with the responsibility to generate, stimulate, aid, and undertake agricultural development for the advancement of the Jamaican economy.

Contact: Twila Wheelan

Release: JIS