ST JAMES, Jamaica – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has called for a collective effort to combat praedial larceny, which has plagued the nation for years.

State Minister Franklin Witter made the appeal during a Public Health Inspectors Sensitisation Session at Hibiscus Lodge in Ocho Rios, St Ann, on Tuesday.

He argued that it will take state agencies, the private sector and the people to “solve this problem”.

“Once we can put together the efforts of all these agencies, such as the police, Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and all those entities, as well as the people of Jamaica, then we can put a dent in this praedial larceny,” Witter said.

He cited the implications of praedial larceny on Jamaica’s food security and safety, with thieves often pilfering items from fields that are unfit for consumption, thereby jeopardising public health.

Additionally, the economic toll on the country’s farmers has been significant, with annual losses of more than $9 billion due to theft, the state minister noted.

He said this loss not only disrupts the livelihoods of the country’s hard-working farmers but also compels Jamaica to rely on imports.

“So, that is a big challenge for us. We want to get back to the point where we can produce 100 per cent of the demand. That’s where it was when I was growing up. We never used to import food. Now we have to resort to that, and one of the main reasons is praedial larceny,” Witter added.

He said that Jamaica demands various new approaches, to include the “necessary policies and legislative framework” to effectively curb praedial larceny.

The session was the second in a series being organised across the country by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

It involved personnel from both Ministries in St Ann, St Mary and Portland as well as members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Praedial Larceny Prevention Coordination Branch. The goal is to strengthen the country’s Praedial Larceny prevention compliance and enforcement efforts.

The session also aimed to enhance awareness, solicit feedback and gain insights into the efficiency of existing preventive measures, and to pinpoint potential areas for enhancing and fostering collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, including Public Health Inspectors, the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, to safeguard the economic interest of farmers.

– JIS