ABOUT 500 farmers in and around the Accompong area of St Elizabeth are to benefit from a green-house project, set up through a US$50,000-grant by the Global Environmental Fund.

The project has two components — the establishment of a nursery for lumber and fruit trees, with the planting of at least 10,000 trees over 18 months; and an orchid sanctuary. Both ventures will be operated on a commercial basis.

To support them, a plant tissue culture unit will be established, and the facility will be used to produce disease-free planting material to farmers at competitive prices.

The project was facilitated by the Social Development Commission (SDC) and is managed by the Accompong Maroon Council.

Speaking at an SDC parish forum on Monday at the St Elizabeth Technical High School, the agency’s Parish Manager Geoffrey Mendez said that, if the venture proved successful, the Global Environmental Fund will provide more funding to expand the project.

He commended community development officer Prince Waite for his work and training of the community participants, that he said has been done to ensure that they met the requirements for the granting of the fund.

“Mr Waite wrote the proposal, and was the link between the Maroon Council and the Global Environmental Fund,” Mendez noted.

“Some five hundred farmers will benefit. They are small farmers who plant banana and yam, and the income from those was minimal. So, this is a big boost for the area,” Mendez said.

He also reported that the SDC has secured a market for some 75 peanut farmers to supply a peanut processing plant at Warminster in the parish.

— JIS