The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining (MAF&M) and some of its agencies have experienced instability over the last decade. During this period eight ministers were given Cabinet responsibilities over the ministry. This period also saw many board changes for the agencies and in some cases, new chairmen and CEOs.

It’s my opinion that Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is the worst affected agency from these rapid changes with the installation of nine CEOs since 2012, and currently the newly installed CEO is in an acting position and was in the position before.

The ministry should know that all other agencies under its wings depend on stability in RADA to fulfill their programmes and objectives and Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) is no exception.

RADA has over 500 employees and manages about $4 billion of government funds, plus it has a large fleet of vehicles and equipment in its operations. It’s too important to be tossed around by the musical chairs of untrained persons. Maybe this is a good time to do a comprehensive restructuring of the authority, since it’s the main blood vein from the ministry to the farmers and the holding house for registration of over 240,000 farmers through the agribusiness information system (ABIS) and the Agriculture Linkage Exchange (ALEX) platforms.

In fact, RADA and 4H Clubs are permanent fixture of all JAS events and this must remain as a contribution to the agricultural sector. Besides, RADA is the face of the ministry and employed most of the agriculturalists in government. But despite its importance to the agricultural sector, the political overseers refused to engage trained agriculturalists as chairmen of boards or even CEOs for the entities. MAF&M is one of the few ministries that consistently turn its back on trained professionals in favour of political neophytes and cronies.

The recent deck shuffling at RADA is cause for concern because the return of Marina Young as CEO replacing Winston Simpson who eclipsed her less than a year ago as CEO — and although the reasons for the movement at the top are not given — this situation showed board flaws and need introspection.

If Young failed in her first dispensation as CEO that caused the promotion of Simpson, why bring her back? But let me hasten to say my years of working with Young placed her in the highest category of excellence; however, her first jettison is still a misery and whatever or whomever caused it must face expulsion. We need to clean the swamp.

Other agencies are also unstable such as JAS, Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), Agro-Investment Corporation (AIC), and Bodles Agricultural Research Station, among others.

JAS is going through a transition over a protracted period, plus unresolved court cases that have prevented the 126th annual general meeting (AGM) up to 2023.

The court cases are scheduled for mention in April and we hope for a resolution.

JACRA exhibited instability as a new organisation, management changes are both rapid and inexplicable.

Currently, the new CEO at JACRA is in an acting position and this doesn’t speak well for stability, so it’s hoped that the board will act definitively in short order.

Peter Thompson, former CEO of RADA, was transferred to JACRA and served only 2 years before a second transfer to 4H Clubs as the executive director. Thompson was appointed CEO of RADA in around 2017 and still holds the post, which makes the situation of attracting and maintaining a new CEO virtually impossible.

It is within the remit of the ministry to offer the RADA board a comparable permanent post in the senior management cadre to Thompson in lieu of his post at RADA in the same way the late permanent secretary Dr Richard Harrison and former chief technical director Don McGlashan were offered director general posts. This would afford Thompson a real opportunity to operate at a higher level in a secure position and relinquish the stranglehold on the top post at RADA. This new scenario would create a bargaining platform for negotiation between Thompson and the board of management of RADA and the office of the permanent secretary. Thompson is an eminently qualified professional with strong industry knowledge and deserves better treatment especially since the labour laws are in his favour.

The 4H is among the best performing and most stable of our agencies because there are only three changes at executive director level since September 2000, although there were board changes over the period that transcended ministerial changes

They say ‘no better barrel, no better herring’. AIC has not shown the level of stability that this agency needs. Over the last few years movement at the top post has seen many changes from Dr Al Powell to Owen Scarlett to Vivian Scully.

They have all been trying but we need the position to be stable in the same way the board showed stability.

It’s imperative for government to ensure the agencies are staffed with skilled professionals with industry knowledge because programmes and projects are managed and implemented by them.

This brought into focus Bodles which was the envy of the world in the 1950s and 60s. Today there is much to be desired from unqualified persons to critically vacant positions left unattended for extended periods causing various delays in research programme starting and budget left unspent from government allocations.

The management of some projects are too tardy, the Essex Valley irrigation project in St Elizabeth was signed by the late Roger Clarke about a decade ago and still it’s in the pipeline. It’s full time water run through those pipelines to assist farmers with this most vital commodity. The project gestation/implementation period is too long and robs the farmers of greater productivity.

Lenworth Fulton is the president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society. He has also served as Execcutive Director of the 4H Club and CEO of Rural Agricultural Development Authority.