WATCH: Agriculture in a fairly good place, says Holness
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has described the island’s agricultural sector as being in a “fairly good place”.
Holness made the remark Monday while visiting the annual Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show in Clarendon.
According to the prime minister, while Jamaica has made strides in the sector, the country was still importing too much of its protein.
“The area in which I really want to see more self reliance, more sustainability, is in our proteins – that is the challenge,” said Holness.
“So I think if we can figure out a way; we have done fairly well in chicken meat and I’m seeing fish and pork. I’m seeing fish emerging, but it’s still – We import too much. We import too much goat meat for example, we should be able to grow enough goat meat – save for the thieves. But I think we’re in a fairly good place in agriculture, but we’re not exactly where our true potential is,” he added.
Holness lauded the country for its efforts in cattle breeding, in addition to the inclusion of more youth and women in the sector.
“We saw today a very good demonstration, I use that term again, a demonstration of our capabilities with the development of breeds in cattle. Jamaica was a pioneer in that regard. And many countries have taken the breeds, and are doing very well with them. We’re doing well with our breeds here, in cattle, but we could do much more, “ Holness said.
“We’re seeing young people – that is one of the things I would say, in this Denbigh I am seeing a lot of young people. And I am seeing a lot of young women participate. That’s very important to see that generational change and a diversity, and a demographic change is happening in agriculture,” Holness added.
The annual agriculture show provides a snapshot of the sector, with industry players having a platform to highlight their achievements and showcase their products and services.
