THE Government is looking to use lands that were once under sugar cane cultivation to boost the country’s agricultural production.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green said the ministry has a programme in place to facilitate access by farmers to arable lands, including former sugar cane lands, for crop production and livestock farming.

“For years, old sugar cane lands have sat idly but we have a plan to make those lands productive and contribute to the growth of the agriculture sector,” he said.

“We want to utilise at least 1,000 hectares for a livestock zone (cattle and small ruminants); 500 hectares for planting fruit trees (ackee, breadfruit, mango); and 2,500 hectares for diversified agricultural production,” he noted.

Green was speaking at the recent handover of letters of possession for lands at Old Hampden in Wakefield, Trelawny.

Increasing access to farmlands is in keeping with the Government’s New FACE of Food initiative which focuses on four strategic pillars – food security, agribusiness development, climate-smart technologies, and export expansion.

The minister stressed that the goal is to advance agriculture in Jamaica and increase the sector’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), while sustainably feeding the nation.

“As such, we continue to work to get every arable land into agricultural production. We also continue to encourage backyard gardening as we truly tackle this goal of attaining food security,” he added.