2009-03-06
Fertilizer’s Processing Ensures Safety
The Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, the Hon. Karl Samuda has emphasized that the Diamond ‘R’ fertilizer which is now being marketed in Jamaica is safe for use by farmers and private citizens alike. He said his Ministry’s decision to facilitate importation of the fertilizer came only after the most exhaustive investigation into its production process, which included site visits to the plant in Florida.
The Commerce Minister was speaking on Wednesday March 4 at a joint press conference with the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton to address charges by Member of Parliament, Roger Clarke regarding the fertilizer’s efficacy and safety.
Minister Samuda pointed out that the United States has been using organic fertilizer since the turn of the century, and stressed that the use of bio solid material did not mean that raw sewage was used in producing the fertilizer. Pointing to the stringent rules set by the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection regarding the use of fertilizer in food production, Minister Samuda noted Florida alone, uses some 4000 tons of organic fertilizer on a weekly basis. He added that it was also used extensively in Canada and Europe.
The Commerce Minister said the importation of the fertilizer was “to ensure that the farmers in the country get the best possible price” in order that they in turn can grow products that are affordable to the Jamaican people. Mr. Samuda reiterated that the fertilizer is safe, and that the plant at which it is produced is state of the art.
In his response to the health concerns raised, Agriculture Minister Dr. Tufton asserted that, from a scientific perspective, the processing ensured the fertilizer’s safety. He pointed out that the heat level used in producing the final product is confirmed at 1200-degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, he added, scientists in the field, including a local Medical Microbiologist at the UWI, had affirmed that it is impossible for any microbe to survive beyond 250-degrees Fahrenheit. In light of this, Minister Tufton emphasized, the 1200-degrees Fahrenheit heat process used in producing the fertilizer was more than four-times the required level needed to kill any microbe - making the survival of any e-coli or salmonella bacteria impossible.
Dr. Tufton noted that both the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (where the plant is located) as well as the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection have confirmed that the process used in the production of the fertilizer is safe for human use and offers no greater risk to water contamination than animal manure or chemical fertilizer. “We are convinced that based on the science, that the product is safe and offers no risk to the farmer or to the consumer,” the Agriculture Minister concluded.