Essex Valley Agriculture Project to improve irrigation for over 700 farmers

Government, through the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, officially launched the Essex Valley Agriculture Development Project at Lititz Primary School in St. Elizabeth on January 16, 2019, with the aim of reducing the water -related challenges being faced by the over 700 farmers of Essex Valley.
Launched by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, the project will provide improved irrigation systems on approximately 700 hectares of land to include the development of a climate-resilient off-farm irrigation system consisting of six irrigation wells and restoration of approximately 30 kilometres of farm/community roads.
Speaking at the launch, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon Audley Shaw, congratulated all the stakeholders and urged continued collaboration towards making the project successful.

“This Essex Valley Agriculture Development Project, being launched today, is a flagship project of the Ministry and will stand as a bold and exemplary instance of agricultural development in Jamaica,” said Minister Shaw.
The project, he said, would address farmers’ current inability to plan for production, which leads to market gluts and shortages, as well as the inconsistencies in the price of produce. Other benefits of the project will be a reduction in disease and pest infestation of some crops during the dry season and increased overhead costs experienced by farmers who plant during the dry season and have to purchase water.
Additionally, it will augment some of the work already undertaken in the area through the IDB/GOJ-Agricultural Competitiveness Programme, which focused on facilitating the linkage of the primary productive sector with the marketing chain through the promotion of market access, market linkages, food quality and safety management systems and agri-business value chains through the agro-parks.

Funded through a £35,515 million grant from the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund, and administered by the Caribbean Development Bank, the Essex Valley project is scheduled for completion by August 2022.
The lead agency for the project is the National Irrigation Commission, an agency of the MICAF.