Gov’t Supporting Farmers During COVID-19

• State Minister for Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Government is committed to supporting farmers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and safeguard the country’s food security.
• He noted that among the initiatives implemented was a $240 million stimulus package to purchase excess fruits and vegetables from those farmers, who lost their markets, largely due to the closure of hotels as a result of the pandemic.
• “There was significant demand and the access is what caused the breakdown in the supply chain so we had to help farmers to get through this period and also still be able to plant,” he noted.
• Green cited the additional $1billion that has been allocated to the Ministry’s Productivity Incentive Programme (PIP) for this financial year, to assist small farmers, as further indication of the Government’s intent to strengthen the country’s food network.

 (Source: JIS)