The Denbigh Agricultural Industrial and Food Show is going ahead this year notwithstanding the battering the agriculture sector sustained from the high winds and torrential rains associated with Hurricane Beryl that impacted the country on July 3.

The preliminary estimate of the damage to the agriculture sector has been put at $4.7 billion.

In the aftermath of the hurricane, and with the food basket parish of St Elizabeth being the hardest-hit, there were questions as to whether the annual three-day show would be held this year.

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Floyd Green, answered those questions in the affirmative on Tuesday when he announced in the House of Representatives that the show will go-ahead.

However, this year’s staging will be a one-day event.

“There has been a lot of debate about whether we should have a Denbigh Agricultural Show this year. Having had discussions with the JAS (Jamaica Agricultural Society), having had discussions with our stakeholders, having appreciated what has happened to the agricultural sector, I’m pleased to announce that what we will have this year is a reshaped, scaled down Denbigh Agricultural Show,” Green said.

The show will be held under the theme: “Building back through resilience” with the focus squarely on farmers.

“We will look to host seminars focusing on how to get back into production, specifically targeting our industry players, preparing greenhouse farmers for hurricane disaster mitigation,” Green said.

He said discounts will be offered on farm inputs while there will be giveaways from input suppliers. There will also be a number of other packages on offer for both fishers and farmers.

“And we will also provide farmers and fishers who have not yet received any benefit, who have not yet been assessed, to be able to come and to leave their information. We will use the Denbigh stage this year to build back our agriculture sector and really catapult that rebuilding process,” Green stated.