HAGUE, Trelawny — MINISTER of Agriculture and Fisheries Pearnel Charles Jr has lauded Trelawny farmers for producing a record-breaking 137,575 tonnes of domestic crops in 2022, making it the second-largest producer in domestic crop output in the island.

The amount, the minister said, is roughly 21,000 tonnes more than its neighbouring parish of Manchester, which is now ranked number three in domestic crop yields.

St Elizabeth remains the largest producer of domestic crops.

Minister Charles, who was addressing the launch of the Ash Wednesday staging of the Hague Agricultural and Industrial Show at the Hague Show Grounds in Trelawny on Wednesday, stressed that against this positive trend in the parish, "Hague is the place to be" on February 22.

"Today at this launch we can proclaim that we will see a successful agricultural and livestock show, and one that reflects the hard work of our farmers in this area and surrounding parishes," Charles told the gathering.

He urged the public to come out and support the 66th staging of the event.

"Get up and come to the livestock show. Hague is the place to be! If you have any other important event, make sure that you put it for the day before or the day after because we expect to be here, we expect that the farmers will be showing why they are able to do so well in the most challenging times," he stated.

Denver Thorpe, regional manager, Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), expressed confidence that this year's staging of the event will surpass the high standard set in 2020 when the show was last held.

"Hague Agricultural and Industrial Show has always been a spectacle in the lives of farmers, consumers, and the wider public of the western region. It is known as one of the best shows outside of Denbigh [Agricultural and Industrial Show] to take place anywhere in the Caribbean… this year we are expecting it to be even better than the last time it was held," said Thorpe.

The show is being hosted by the Trelawny Association of Branch Society, an affiliate of the JAS, under the theme: 'Fostering Economic Growth Through Agricultural Value Chains'.

The event gives farmers and producers of agricultural products the opportunity to showcase a diverse offering of agricultural products and services that are aligned with agriculture.