WESTERN BUREAU – The 16th staging of the Montpellier Agricultural Show, which will be held on Easter Monday, will be used as a tool to further encourage Jamaicans to eat locally harvested produce.

The theme for the April 12 show, according to Glendon Harris, is “We are what we eat, eat Jamaican”. Harris is president of the St James chapter of the Jamaica Agricultural Society and vice-president of the national arm of the JAS.

Since Governor General Sir Howard Cooke last year proclaimed November 25 as Eat Jamaica Day, all JAS activities have been promoting the campaign.

“If we examine the widening gap between imports and exports, we would recognise that Jamaicans, both local and abroad, display a level of patriotism and dedication to consuming best-tasting foods of the highest quality and that is what characterises Jamaican foods,” Harris said.

He said the St James JAS will meet with the Ministers’ Fraternal in the parish to encourage the different churches to support the farmers during their annual harvest celebration.

Meanwhile, part of the emphasis at this year’s Montpellier show will be on the exhibits of the various JAS parish branches. The farmers will be allowed to showcase the work that they have been doing over the past 12 months. The best booth competition will this year attract a top prize of $100,000, which will be used for a project to be decided upon by the winning branch society.

In preparing the farmers for the contest, and to improve the quality of exhibits at the show, the JAS will be staging a series of training sessions for branch representatives. These will cover grading and selection of produce, booth presentation, and individuals will be updated on the criteria for selection for the various competitions.

Harris said they expect to have 10,000 patrons for this year’s show, up from a record attendance of a little more than 7,000 last year. He said the show has become a fixture in the minds of many Jamaicans as, with each staging, the event becomes more popular.

A family entertainment package, which includes horse-back riding, bounce-about, and a canine show, will all be a part of this year’s show. Later in the day, a stage show, which features gospel artiste Marsha Daniels and friends will precede a local talent show. The headline act for the show has not yet been confirmed.

Sponsorship for the event is being provided by the Montpellier Citrus Company, Montego Bay Ice Company, Cornwall Garden Centre, Sunset Beach Resort and Spa, Cool Runnings Water Company, Antilles Chemicals, Jamaica Public Service Company, Discount Lumber and Hardware, Hi Pro Feeds and Digicel.