Dear Editor,

Many know my bias towards the Charles family because I see them as rebels and performers.

Pearnel Charles Jr is one of the most moved-around ministers in Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s Cabinet. He was responsible for water, then housing, urban renewal, environment, and climate change. Now he’s responsible for agriculture and fisheries. He was also a junior minister at the security and foreign affairs and foreign trade ministries. I strongly believe Charles Jr can work anywhere he’s placed, but I believe he’s the best person for education and youth, national security, health, or foreign affairs.

Charles Jr’s biggest issue, in my opinion, is that he needs a public relations specialist, because his work, during the one year he has been at the agriculture and fisheries ministry, is very impressive.

Some will, no doubt, argue that he is doing nothing at agriculture, but that’s far from the truth. The most important figure I look at when it comes to agriculture is growth and domestic crop output. Jamaica is en route to reaping over 800,000 tonnes of domestic crops in a calender year that’s been historic. We’ve seen six consecutive quarters of growth in the agriculture and fisheries sector and are on course to see seven consecutive quarters of growth.

Minister Charles Jr is going to be the first agriculture minister to achieve over 200,000 tonnes of domestic crop output for all quarters in a year. He is continuing the work of his predecessors Audley Shaw, Floyd Green, JC Hutchinson, and Karl Samuda. The years 2019, 2020, and 2021 saw domestic crop output of 689,080 ,697,679 and 770,456 tonnes, respectively. The average output is 213,000 tonnes per quarter, so if the fourth and final quarter follows this trend, the overall growth is estimated to be 852,000 tonnes.

All of these achievements should be attributed to Minister Charles Jr’s leadership, the technocrats, and the farmers of Jamaica.

If Charles Jr is going to be moved again, it ought to be a promotion. But I believe in continuity. And having him serve as agriculture minister for this term is a good thing. It’s not a good look for an administration to have had three agriculture and fisheries ministers in one term.

Teddylee Gray

St Ann

teddylee.gray@gmail.com