MONTPELIER, St James – The St James Association of Branch Societies of the Jamaica Agricultural Society is fine-tuning activities for the staging of the Montpelier Agricultural and Industrial Show here on Easter Monday.

The event will return after a two-year absence caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“This is the first major agricultural show since the pandemic, and I think it will be even more successful than its former years,” president of the St James Association of Branch Societies Glendon Harris predicted.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Pearnel Charles Jr is slated to deliver the keynote address during the official opening ceremony. Custos of St James Bishop Conrad Pitkin and deputy Mayor of Montego Bay Councillor Richard Vernon are also scheduled to bring remarks, Harris stated.

Harris also disclosed that there will be seedlings in abundance at the show, in an effort by the organisers to satisfy the growing number of backyard farmers who have emerged since the pandemic.

“We will be concentrating heavily on seedlings. During the pandemic a lot of persons got into a little backyard farming, and so we saw it fit to ensure that we have a variety of seedlings, such as flowers, tomatoes, callaloo, pak choi, and whatever kind of seedlings the producers have we want to have it there,” Harris told the Jamaica Observer.

He also noted that there will be, among other activities, livestock exhibitions by farmers from the parishes of St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, and Trelawny.

Harris expressed disappointment that the regular poultry-rearing exhibition will be affected due to a shortage of baby chicks.

“We did not have baby chicks so we don’t have any chicken in the coops so that persons can see the various developments of the birds. I hope we will have some by Monday. But outside of that, all is well, and we are set for a wonderful show,” he said.

Despite the lifting of the Disaster Risk Management Act and the related protocols, the St James Association of Branch Societies president said, as much as possible, patrons will be spread out around the four-acre showground.

“The grounds will spread right around on four acres of land. So we are going to maintain the COVID protocols. We have reduced the number of restaurants and bars that they can have bigger space so there will be less bundling… so persons can actually maintain the social distance as best as possible and move around the grounds so that everybody can keep moving and we don’t get any bundling,” he said.

He argued that, according to feedback, the event will be well attended.

“It seems like the turnout is going to be good. I think we will have a bumper turnout,” he argued.