MINISTER of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining Floyd Green has declared that the Government continues to make significant strides in combatting praedial larceny.

According to Green, 139 arrests were made in praedial larceny in 2024, compared to 78 the previous year.

He said there was also a rise in the number of praedial larceny cases taken before the courts, from 138 in 2023 to 201 in 2024.

“In 2023, we formed 107 farm watch programmes [and] last year, 285. In 2023, we seized eight vehicles, [while] last year, we seized 28 vehicles,” said Green during an address at the ‘Thank A Farmer’ Wellness Fair at Hope Gardens in St Andrew on Tuesday.

The event was hosted by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) in collaboration with the agriculture ministry.

Green told the fair that 367 heads of livestock were recovered in the past year, a significant increase from 73 in 2023.

“In every area, we are really doing a lot of work to try and get praedial larceny under control. We actually have at police stations now, Praedial Larceny Prevention Units, so when you go to report it, it goes to that unit. So, just like how sexual offences had their own formation, agriculture is now having their formation,” Green stated.

More than 200 farmers across Jamaica, who traded a day on their farm to attend Tuesday’s fair, were treated to complimentary haircuts, massages, health checks and HIV tests.

They also participated in games, networked, explored financial offerings from banking institutions, toured plant and agri-chemical booths and had the opportunity to apply for or renew their passports.

Green, who addressed the participants under the theme ‘Celebrating Our Food Heroes’, urged them to prioritise their health.

“If we don’t first take care of our own health and wellness, then we can’t do what we love. Sometimes, as farmers, we take it for granted. We’re just out there working every day. We don’t take time for rest, no little break, we [don’t] check [our] pressure, and then it’s too late,” said Green.

In highlighting the importance of food security, Green underscored that farming is critical to every society.

“Whether you’re rich or you’re poor, no matter how much degrees you get in life, you have to eat. So, the people who provide the food are the most important people out there and we are showing it, not in talk, but in action,” said Green.

— JIS