Agriculture Ministry Allocates $700 Million to Help Farmers Recover

• The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has allocated $700mn as an immediate response to help farmers recover from the passage of Hurricane Beryl, which impacted the island on July 3.
• Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, stated that the initial support funds will be allocated for the purchase of essential items that are urgently required to assist farmers in rebuilding their operations and conducting infrastructure repairs.
• The Minister added that the funds would be disbursed through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Agro Investment Corporation (AIC) and Members of Parliament.
• “The allocation includes $210Mn, which will focus on crop recovery. We will allocate $90Mn to our vegetable lines, $40Mn towards our banana and plantain farmers, and $80Mn towards other crops, especially yam, and our coffee farmers,” Mr. Green said.
• “In relation to livestock, we are allocating $60Mn to help them [our small poultry farmers] rebuild their enterprise. We are not only allocating in relation to the provision of livestock; a number of farmers lost their infrastructure. As such, we are allocating $26Mn towards the rebuilding of livestock infrastructure,” he added.
• Mr. Green said an initial sum of $29Mn will be allocated to the fisheries sector, $30Mn will be allocated for fertiliser support, $55Mn for infrastructure support, $20Mn for irrigation, $50Mn for land preparation and clearance, and $70Mn for farm road rehabilitation. He noted that $150Mn will be allocated through Members of Parliament, which will be prorated based on the level of damage in the constituency.

(Source: JIS)