Agri ministry endorses Trelawny Local Sustainable Development Plan

In keeping with its mandate to drive growth and improve the quality of lives of the people, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries partnered with the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) in the development of its Local Sustainable Development Plan:2030 & Beyond through grant funding of $20m.
Speaking at the launch of the plan on March 16, Technical Director for Special Projects in the Ministry, Courtney Cole, who represented the Hon Karl Sumuda, commended the TMC for its initiative in developing the plan.
“We anticipate the implementation of this plan, which, we believe, will greatly assist in attracting local and international investment in developmental projects in the parish,” said Cole.
The chief technical director urged farmers to engage in diversification of the sector as this is important for the sustainable development of the parish. He further noted that through the Ministry’s the Sugar Transformation Unit (STU), European Union-grant funding totalling $10m was provided to 16 beneficiaries to facilitate the implementation of several income-generating projects under the plan.

These include community-based agricultural projects in Albert Town geared at promoting yam production and the Wire Fence Community Agricultural Economic Project, which involved nine beneficiaries in poultry and cash crop production.

The Trelawny Local Sustainable Development Plan is one of six plans funded by the STU in sugar-dependent parishes in collaboration with other stakeholders such as the National Housing Trust.

Approximately $746m has also been spent by the STU in Trelawny on 51 projects, including construction of 39 houses for 97 sugar workers, construction of library facilities, and rehabilitation of 14.55 km of cane roads. Over 86 residents received skills training in plumbing, housekeeping, commercial food preparation and data operations.
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