Government of Jamaica

You are here

Ministry Encourages Greater Youth Involvement in Dairy Industry


Article Archives
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
 
December 2016
 

Executive Director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Dr. Ronald Blake (2nd left) and Interim President, Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Professor Marilyn Anderson (2nd right), holding the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a signing ceremony, held on December 5, 2016 at the Jamaica 4-H Clubs National Headquarters in Kingston. Others (from left) are: Director, Human Resource and Administration, Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Karen Thompson and Professor and Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Science, Allied Health and Nursing at NCU, Dr. Vincent Wright. The partnership will focus on the recruitment and training of youth in technical and vocational education as well as supporting and strengthening 4-H Clubs.

Above Body

 07 Dec 2016    communications   

As part of its ongoing efforts to boost revitalisation of the country’s dairy industry, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries is encouraging greater involvement of young people and women in the industry.
The call came from acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Reginald Budhan, while addressing dairy farmers from St Thomas, Clarendon and St Elizabeth on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 in Kingston.
Speaking against the background of a decline in the industry, precipitated by the liberalisation of milk imports in the 1990s, and the subsequent attrition of farmers from the sector, the Permanent Secretary said the revitalisation efforts were not only aimed at re-engaging the services of those who were formerly involved in the dairy sector, but also to “attract and engage young people in this lucrative business”.
He cited, in this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July between Seprod and the College of Agriculture, Science and Education to assist in the ongoing transformation of the dairy operations at CASE to better prepare students for work and entrepreneurial activities within the dairy industry.
Acknowledging the support and collaboration of private sector companies and international partners such as the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Mr. Budhan said Government was serious about resuscitating the dairy industry.
He said that although the industry faced real challenges such as the impact of climate change, praedial larceny and access to affordable inputs and financing, efforts were being made to address and resolve them. He called upon the farmers and stakeholders to make the industry a “model of success”.
The meeting of the dairy farmers was organised by IICA, in collaboration with the Jamaica Dairy Development Board, to strengthen the group clusters, which are now in the process of being registered or reregistered as co-operatives.
It was noted that one of the clusters in attendance, the Serge Island Farmers, currently has a membership of 52, some 20 per cent of whom are young farmers, while 30 per cent are female farmers.
=30=

The Ministry

Welcome to the official website of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.

The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce is described as Jamaica's "Business Ministry." It's mandate is to lead the development of policies that will create growth and jobs, while achieving social inclusion and consumer protection. The Ministry, working its stakeholders is primarily responsible for business policy development, monitoring and evaluation, while giving direction and oversight to a cluster of implementing departments and agencies.

We have, therefore, placed much energy and enthusiasm into the development of this website to provide timely information on the Ministry, our agencies and programmes.

Twitter

MIIC Social

MIIC Facebook   MIIC Twitter   MIIC YouTube

4 St. Lucia Avenue, Kingston 5, Jamaica
Telephone: (876) 968-7116 
Fax: (876) 960-7422 
Email: ps_office@miic.gov.jm

Opening hours: 
Mondays - Thursdays 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fridays 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

 


 

The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce - https://www.miic.gov.jm