HAGUE, Trelawny — State minister in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Franklin Witter has praised farmers in Trelawny for the parish’s contribution to the record 846,508 tons of domestic crops produced in Jamaica last year.

“Let me extend special commendation to the 1,200 registered farmers in Trelawny. Your efforts have contributed to Trelawny becoming the second-largest producer in domestic crops [last year],” Witter told patrons at the Hague Agricultural and Livestock Show which returned to Hague Show Ground on Ash Wednesday after a two-year hiatus due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“I always boast when I travel across Jamaica that St Elizabeth is the bread basket of Jamaica and would always be on top in terms of agricultural production. But I can see that Trelawny is now the second largest in domestic crop production in the year 2022 with 130,575 tons. I think this is worthy of commendation for the farmers of Trelawny and I want us to give the farmers of Trelawny a very haughty applause,” Witter said.

The 66th staging of the event was hosted by the Trelawny Association of Branch Society, an affiliate of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), under the theme: ‘Fostering Economic Growth, Through Agricultural Value Chains.’

Witter also gave kudos to the Trelawny Association of Branch Society for successfully organising the agricultural show.

“Let me take this opportunity to commend our farmers because I believe without our farmers we would not have been here today. And we want to commend you for your resilience, your hard work, as you enabled Jamaica to produce record number of production during the most challenging times the world has experienced,” said Witter, who is also the Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South Eastern.

Mayor of Falmouth Councillor C Junior Gager, in welcoming the patrons, urged the parish to focus on highlighting the importance of agricultural sustainability through the adoption of climate-smart practices.

“Farmers and stakeholders in the sector should seek to learn the strategies and the best method for mitigation against potential disaster,” Gager said.

Witter used the opportunity to inform the large gathering of the support that the Ministry of Agriculture has been providing in the sector across the parish.

He pointed to the Production Incentive Programme, saying “to date we have assisted 318 farmers in the parish with the establishment of three crops covering 51.5 hectares of land”.

He also noted that some Trelawny communities have benefited under a climate-resilient project that seeks to reduce the vulnerability of Jamaican ecosystems and strengthen the resilience of communities within targeted watersheds against the adverse effects of climate change.

“From this project, areas such as Albert Town, Warsop, Jackson Town, and Falmouth can expect increased resilience to climate change through harvesting agro-forestry and bioengineering structures that are geared towards preventing soil erosion and land degradation,” Witter said.

“We continue to rehabilitate farm roads through our National Farm Roads Programme so that farmers can transport their produce with little or no hassle,” he said.

“As it relates to Trelawny, four roads, covering two kilometres and valued approximately $28 million, were approved for the fiscal year 2022/23.”