KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining will be placing greater focus on key areas in 2025 to pivot the sector for robust and sustainable growth, as well as to build a stronger, food-secure Jamaica.

This was noted by Portfolio Minister, Floyd Green, during a press conference at the ministry’s Hope Gardens offices, in St Andrew, on December 18.

“In 2025, we will be pivoting agriculture for robust and sustainable growth. The prime minister has already laid the charge that what we are looking forward to is accelerated growth and we are very sure that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining will have to drive that accelerated growth in a real way,” he said.

Green said the ministry will focus on strengthening resilience through more climate-smart technologies, irrigation systems, as well as continue to organise around disaster preparedness.

The minister noted that $120 million is being spent to purchase small irrigation kits that will be distributed to farmers in the first quarter of 2025.

“We have already started to prepare for what we expect will be a dry quarter in January to March, so unfortunately, we are going to go from rain to drought and as such, we have already started to procure…so we can help our farmers withstand any dryness that comes in that first quarter, so we are taking those preparatory measures,” he said.

The minister noted too that the network of retention ponds has been expanded.

“Thankfully, we did some last year and they have come into play in areas like Hind’s Town. The significant rainfall that we saw, a lot of that has gone into the retention pond, so they now have that water to treat with during the dry period that we expect,” he added.

He said the ministry will focus more on empowering youth through expanding the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme.

“You will see as we pivot agriculture, a lot more focus on our youth, a lot more focus on getting our youth to have well-run businesses, and a lot more focus on training,” he said.

Green argued that production and productivity will be enhanced by scaling up support for key crops and livestock.

“We have to ensure that we are maximising what we put in, so we are going to be expanding research, especially around seeds, planting materials, to ensure we are planting the right climate-smart varieties. We will be purchasing some new tractors as we continue to drive the mechanisation of our agricultural sector. We are going to enter into a public-private partnership around tractor and drone usage so that our farmers will have greater access,” he said.

Green noted too that the Ministry will continue to introduce new technologies in the fisheries sector to enhance productivity.

“We have deployed nine fish aggregating devices where our artisanal fishers now, instead of going out and doing guesswork in fisheries, use technology (to aid in their trade) and get greater returns on their investment,” he said.

The Minister added that the Ministry will focus on driving growth through investments, the introduction of new agro parks, new contract farming arrangements and storage.

“We are going to do a big push to drive growth through investments. We are looking for big investors in agriculture, in fisheries, and in mining. I can’t speak about some of them as yet, but I can tell you, in all three areas, we have some big investments on the horizon,” he said.

Turning to contract farming, he said engagements have started with critical stakeholders on the matter.

“We want to get more of our farmers farming to a set market, for a set price. We already had a meeting with the Ministry of Industry and I am signalling to the hotel sector that there has to be a new day come January morning in how we engage our farmers and how we change some of the structural issues that do not serve our farmers’ interest in being able to serve our hotel sector on long-term contracts,” he said.

The minister pointed out that a lot more focus will be placed on storage.

“We have to be able to store in times of glut so that when we go through these weather events, we still have access to quality Jamaican produce,” he said.

– JIS