BRACO, Trelawny

VEGETABLE and fruits farmers who cultivate the 15 acres of land at Braco Farms are now benefiting from an $11.7-million drip irrigation system that is expected to significantly increase their crop yield.

The system, funded by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) under the Rural Economic Development Initiative, is especially appreciated as it comes at a time when the island is facing drought conditions that have devastated farms in various parishes and resulted in significant losses.

The drip system received high praises as it allows farmers better use of the water, especially in the dry period, as oppose to the sprinkler system they used over the years.

“What it really does is allow the farmers to regulate in terms of the amount of water they give to the plant,” Mervyn Green, the parish agricultural manager in the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Trelawny, told the Jamaica Observer West.

“Based upon how the drip is set up, most times [water] goes to where the root of the plants are. With the [sprinkler] system what you find is that it waters not just the plant but also the weeds that are in the vicinity of the plants. So the new system is cost-effective for the farmers and it increases the farmers’ yield,” Green explained.

Seventy-one-year-old onion farmer Gersham Mitchell also expressed satisfaction with the system, noting, “One of the main benefits is the saving on water usage.”

Farmer Cheryl Binns told the Observer West: “With proper germination you will get higher yield, and when you take care of the crop properly you should get a higher yield per acreage.”

The system was officially handed over to the farmers by JSIF last week following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Irrigation Commission (NIC) for the supply of water.

It also include the establishment of a food safety facility, where the farmers can package and store their produce, which may include watermelon, pumpkin, cantaloupe, sweet pepper, cucumber, onion and other crops.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Agriculture, Labour and Social Security Minister Derrick Kellier welcomed the initiative and pointed out that Braco Farms is strategically located between two major development projects, which will provide opportunity for farmers to market their produce.

“With Melia Braco expected to come on stream later this year, you can produce to support the hotel next door, rather than for things to come from further afield. It puts you in a position to supply your produce much cheaper because there is

less transportation costs,” Kellier said.

“We are already seeing the transformational impact of these new irrigation systems,” the agriculture minister said.

He noted that more than $5 billion has been spent over the last decade to install new irrigation systems across the island.

Two of these were commissioned within the last two years, one at New Forrest in Manchester and another at Yallahs, St Thomas, where agro parks have been established.

In the meantime, Green, expressed hope that other farmers will be added to the 17 that are now connected to the Braco system.