KINGSTON, Jamaica — Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Reginald Budhan, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of Portland’s first agro-park at Spring Garden.

The announcement was made at the World Food Day National Ceremony and Exhibition held at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) at Passley Gardens in Portland on October 14.

Speaking on behalf of Karl Samuda, minister of industry, commerce, agriculture and fisheries, Budhan said the new agro-park would focus on the production of bananas, plantains, sweet potato, and peppers for the local and export trade.

Celebrated this year under the theme ‘Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too’, World Food Day is held annually in more than 150 countries and is aimed at promoting awareness of those who suffer from hunger and the need to put in place strategies that will ensure food security.

Noting that climate change poses a threat to Jamaica achieving food security, the release by the ministry said that with about 25 per cent of the negative economic impacts from climate-related disasters in developing countries being borne by the crop, livestock, fisheries, and forestry sector, Budhan outlined several initiatives being undertaken by the government, in collaboration with other stakeholders, to increase the sector’s climate resilience. These initiatives include provision of 2,700 small grants to small farmers to assist in the production of approximately 1,000 hectares of crops and generating over $1.2 billion of farm income, as well as the installation of 14 water harvesting, small-scale irrigation and productivity schemes. In addition, seven irrigation and productivity schemes are to come on stream shortly.

“Sustained agricultural growth can only be achieved if there is significant transformation of the sector to include wide-scale expansion of irrigation,” Budhan said.

This, he said, should include a more coordinated and structured approach to the sector to include value addition, adding that the government was pursuing the expansion of irrigation systems, especially on the southern belt and expansion of the agro-parks and the associated value-chain development.

Other initiatives aimed at implementing best practices and promotion of climate-smart agriculture and proper water and land management being carried out by the ministry, which were outlined by the permanent secretary, included provision of 100 small grants to small farmers to establish land husbandry infrastructure on their farm holdings to mitigate soil erosion and training in climate-smart agricultural best practices, using the farmer field school methodology.

In an effort to support year-round production, over 240 small farmers have also received support with small-scale on-farm drip irrigation systems.