The Government says 5,000 farmers, mostly youth and women, will receive land, free of cost, under a programme designed to expand food production in new unutilised areas.

According to Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Pearnel Charles Jr, the initiative will cost $63 million and will be implemented over the current 2022-2023 period.

Charles Jr announced the programme in his contribution to the sectoral debate in Parliament on Tuesday, saying that Government will fund the costs to prepare up to one acre of land free of cost to each of the farmers.

This initiative, he said, will be coordinated through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority in collaboration with produce marketing organisations Jamaica Agricultural Society, and Jamaica 4-H Clubs.

The programme, he said, is being implemented as the agriculture and fisheries ministry continues to develop strategies to engage and motivate young people to invest in agriculture, including its policy to make 20 per cent of all productive lands available to youth.

“In that vein, 105 hectares (260 acres) of land have been made available to vulnerable groups, particularly youth and women. We have achieved 86 per cent of our target by adding 39 youths to the agro-parks and production zones for the financial year 2021/22,” Charles Jr told the Parliament.

He said Jamaica 4-H Clubs, in collaboration with Agro-Investment Corporation, has placed 10 young people on lands at Ebony Park Agro-Park. Additionally, because of “strong interest by youth farmers for agricultural lands” Jamaica 4-H Clubs is working with Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings to identify additional lands for them.

Charles Jr also said that through the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme, 291 agribusinesses were established and participants received:

• start-up grants of $50,000;

• six months of business coaching;

• training in business development and management; and

• agriculture best practices for targeted production and training in basic computing.

“Additionally, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs provided youth with over 270,000 training opportunities, financial support to 363 needy students pursuing studies in agriculture, and the establishment of 367 school gardens,” the minister said.