BEACON, St Elizabeth — Even as the farming belts here in southern St Elizabeth continue to face severe drought conditions, Minister of Agriculture Pearnel Charles Jr has commended farmers and assured that more resources will be given to the breadbasket parish.

“We are going to be continuing to work with our farmers to ensure that you are trained and informed and that you know the techniques, in terms of proper irrigation and water efficiency and how to use the water. These practices will not only conserve water use in agriculture, but they are going to contribute to reducing the cost of that bill [and] you have to maintain the high soil quality,” he said at a commissioning ceremony for the Beacon solar pump station on Wednesday.

Charles announced that 390 farmers will benefit from the ground-mounted, 120-kilowatt grid-tied solar system comprising 270 photovoltaic, 450 panels costing $31.5 million, and improved service delivery from the National Irrigation Commission (NIC).

He commended farmers for their mindset and using limited resources efficiently.

“The reason St Elizabeth is so distinguished in your farming practices, in my view, is partially because of the challenges that you face… With the little that they [farmers] have they have no choice but to use it efficiently,” he said.

“Because you have the drought, because you have to be trucking [and] because you don’t have anything to waste, you waste nothing and that mindset of efficiency is what causes your production to be so specific and calculated,” added Charles.

He said a new water truck will be delivered for irrigation purposes in St Elizabeth in the coming weeks.

“We are [also] putting in place arrangements for two more [trucks]. We are moving in the right direction in St Elizabeth,” said the agriculture minister.

Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South West Floyd Green also lauded the farmers for the way they have been battling the drought.

He said the NIC will have to ensure water delivered to the farmers is affordable.

“The farmers in St Elizabeth are able to lead the country despite having the majority of the months of the year in a state of drought, and that is the reality. But bringing the water is just one aspect of the equation, because if you bring the water to the farmers, but the cost is at a level that the farmers cannot afford water, then we would be defeating the whole purpose,” said Green.

“… Our major problem is drought, so that means we have an excess amount of sunlight. This is why this project is so important, because what it does is it brings sustainability to the operation of the NIC by reducing your dependence on high-cost energy and bringing you into depending on solar energy,” added Green.