Hon J.C. Hutchinson (right), Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, presents the St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation Ltd’s Best of St. Bess Golden Award to Allison and Oral Turner of Turner’s Innovations Ltd for innovation in agriculture at the Homecoming Awards Brunch in St. Elizabeth on December 1, 2019. The Turners created the first sorrel harvesting machine. Other awardees included the National Irrigation Commission, Rural Agricultural Development Authority and farmer Desmond Whitely. The St Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation, now in its 26th year, hosts Homecoming celebrations annually.
Agriculturalist Desmond Whitely emerged winner of the St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation 2019 “Best of St Bess” Golden Award in the category of farming at the foundation’s Awards Brunch in St. Elizabeth on December 1.
Mr. Whitely, who has been farming since he was 12 years old, is the leading supplier of vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli to buyers islandwide and was among four awardees recognised for service to the parish in the areas of extension services, irrigation services, agro-processing and innovation in agriculture.
Other awardees were Turner Innovations Ltd, the National Irrigation Commission, and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority.
Speaking at the awards brunch, Hon J.C. Hutchinson, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, lauded Mr. Whitely for his achievement and for showing other small farmers how to maximise their production.
Noting that one of the challenges that the farmers faced was that of finding markets for their produce, Minister Hutchinson said that establishment of the first agro-economic zone at Holland in the parish was far advanced and this facility would provide an outlet for all of the farmers’ produce.
Held under the theme St Elizabeth Homecoming 2019 …Celebrating the best of St Bess… Saluting our Farmers, the 26th staging of the Homecoming celebrations highlighted the resilience of the parish’s agricultural sector, which boasts 29,320 registered farmers, the largest number in a parish.
Known as the breadbasket parish, St. Elizabeth produced 100,000 tonnes of domestic food crops to the national domestic output in 2018, earning approximately $10 billion. The parish continues to be the largest producer of vegetable, condiments, fruits, particularly pineapples, watermelons, cantaloupes and other tubers.
