KINGSTON, Jamaica— The sizzling heat of the August sun could not prevent the grand display of the best in Jamaica’s agriculture and fisheries as the historic Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show made its 70th showing on Independence Day.

Patrons from near and far flooded the Denbigh Showground in May Pen, Clarendon, for the one-day event, which was scaled down from its usual three-day format, due to the recent passage of Hurricane Beryl.

And though the agricultural sector suffered many setbacks from the Category 4 weather system, the Denbigh show served as a strong indicator that the nation and its farmers are well on the road to recovery.

In fact, Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, after leading a tour of the grounds, told the official ceremony that the new buzzword for agriculture is ‘resilience’ and urged farmers and fishers to seek opportunities from crises.

Holness also noted that there is no coincidence in the show being held on the nation’s Independence Day as, “the two things are connected because you can’t really say that you’re independent if you can’t feed yourself. Our farmers are critical to our independence”.

Beaming with pride was the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, who hailed the tenacity of the farmers, fishers, exhibitors and organisers pooling together to stage the beloved show.

“Having seen the devastation of Hurricane Beryl, a number of people thought that this would not be possible, but we knew that if we put our shoulders to the wheel, if we put our faith and confidence in our farmers if we work together with our private-sector partners, then we could stage Denbigh 70,” Green said.

Several other dignitaries and officials attended the event, including Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Oversight for Skills, Digital Transformation and Information, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon; Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett; and special guest, Premier of the Cayman Islands, Julianna O’Connor-Connolly.

At the many booths, food stops and pavilions were the patrons of all ages who, by every indicator, were having a grand time, embracing all the event had to offer.

With the winding down of the evening, the National Farm Queen Coronation took place, followed by an after-party headlined by Dancehall crooner, Jahvinci.

Denbigh 70 was held under the theme ‘Building back through resilience’.

-JIS