MOUNT PROSPECT, Manchester — Scores of farmers in the north-west Manchester community of Mount Prospect are set to benefit from the recent opening of the Wilson Town farm road.

Speaking at a recent ceremony for the road opening, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Pearnel Charles Jr said the infrastructure will benefit close to 100 farmers, even as he called for an increase in the budget allocation for farm road rehabilitation.

He added that farmers deserve access to good land space, roads, water and the finances needed to plant crops.

“I believe we directly have to say thank you to farmers. The last two years have been unbelievably challenging. There have been years when most people would have reason to pack up and just say I am done. I am not doing [farming],” said Charles Jr.

“I believe the pandemic has proven and exposed the resilience and the strength and the determination of our farmers. I think that it is more than enough justification for me as minister to call on an increase in allocation to the budget for the farm road rehabilitation (programme),” added Charles Jr.

Member of Parliament for Manchester North Western Mikael Phillips expressed his delight at the focus on farm roads rehabilitation.

“This is another happy moment for us in north-west Manchester and I want to thank the ministry of agriculture… for at least believing in the farmers,” said Phillips.

He added that the Huntley and Mount Prospect area in his constituency is pivotal in the production of Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots.

In the meantime, Charles Jr said his ministry has been preparing to deal with more disasters due to climate change.

“Coming from a portfolio where I understand climate change more than many, it is going to become more intense, more frequent. Our [Rural Agricultural Development Authority] extension officers will have to deal with more and more disasters, but we are prepared,” he said.