Jamaica, ST CATHERINE – JAMAICA Broilers Group — through its Hi-Pro brand — has re-affirmed its commitment to the advancement of the Denbigh agricultural show with a sponsorship of $15 million for this year’s staging of the event, to be held at its May Pen show ground from August 4 to 6.

Broilers has been a partner of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) Denbigh Agricultural & Industrial Show for some 55 years.

Ian Parsard, the company’s senior vice president for operations and finance, said the sponsorship would include underwriting the Denbigh Launch event; cash support for JAS; sponsorship of the Hi-Pro Gospel Extravaganza to be held at Denbigh on Sunday, August 4 and the Hi-Pro Booth, open to the public over the three days of Denbigh 2013.

“We continue to give priority to Denbigh because we are a proud Jamaican agricultural company at our core. In fact, this year’s sponsorship commitment re-affirms not only our commitment to Jamaica, but is also an indication of our continued support for the agricultural sector, which we are confident can play a major role in the growth of our economy,” said Parsard, speaking at the launch of Denbigh 2013, held on the lawn of the Group’s Hi-Pro ACE Supercentre at White Marl, St Catherine.

“We are not only talking the talk, but walking the walk, as is evident with the launch of our recent corn-planting programme and the expansion of our reach into the agricultural sector through our contract farmers and independent farmers, with Hi-Pro Feeds playing an integral role in their success,” Parsard said.

Parsard congratulated the JAS for having remained relevant to each generation since the association first introduced the Denbigh Agricultural & Industrial Show, now in its 61st year.

He also described this year’s Denbigh theme of “Grow What We Eat…Eat What We Grow: Food Security…The Gateway To Prosperity” as timely, bringing into sharp focus the urgency with which the local agricultural sector needs to increase production so that each Jamaican household can have access to food, especially as the government seeks to reduce the nation’s food importation bill.