In 2023, Jamaica’s agricultural sector achieved a near-record manufacturing milestone, harvesting a powerful 779,254 tonnes of home crops.
This accomplishment is especially noteworthy because it represents the second-highest manufacturing degree ever recorded within the nation’s historical past.
Regardless of going through difficult climate circumstances, together with one of many hottest years on report and intervals of each drought and intense rainfall, the agricultural sector managed to flourish.
Overcoming environmental challenges
The Minister of State within the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter, highlighted the resilience of the Jamaican agricultural sector within the face of those environmental hurdles.
The antagonistic climate circumstances did impression productiveness, however the outstanding output is seen as a testomony to the nation’s perseverance and divine favor.
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This sentiment was expressed in the course of the forty first Annual Nationwide Farmers’ Month church service, underscoring the gratitude in direction of the resilience and blessings that enabled such an achievement.
Celebrating Farmer’s Month with renewed assist
The event additionally served as a platform to reaffirm the federal government’s dedication to supporting the agricultural sector.
The Agriculture State Minister emphasised the importance of Farmer’s Month as a time to bolster assist throughout numerous agricultural departments and sectors.
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The ministry’s strategic imaginative and prescient, encapsulated within the New FACE of Meals technique, goals to deal with meals safety, agro-business growth, local weather change adaptation, and export growth, highlighting a forward-thinking strategy to agriculture.
Trade and neighborhood leaders rally behind farmers
Group and trade leaders, together with Lenworth Fulton, President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), and Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Collen Gager, praised the dedication and exhausting work of farmers and stakeholders.
The acknowledgment from these figures reinforces the very important position of the agricultural sector in making certain meals safety and the general well-being of the Jamaican populace.
The municipal company’s pledge to proceed supporting agriculture within the parish additional illustrates the neighborhood’s dedication to sustaining this important trade.
A unifying theme: Sustainability and self-sufficiency
The Farmer’s Month Church service, held below the rallying cry ‘Develop what we eat… Eat what we develop’, encapsulates a broader imaginative and prescient of sustainability and self-sufficiency.
This theme not solely promotes native agriculture but additionally encourages Jamaicans to assist their farming neighborhood by selecting locally-grown produce.