Minister Shaw commends Irish potato farmers

Manchester farmers produced 70% of the Irish potatoes reaped in Jamaica for the 2017-2018 season which have earned them the praises of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, who addressed them at the National Irish Potato Stakeholders’ Seminar in Devon, Manchester, on April 26.
For the July 2017-September 2018 season, some 900 hectares of Irish potato have been planted and 14 million lbs. harvested to date.
“Our mission must be to produce enough Irish potato to satisfy the local market as well as export to other Caribbean countries, Minister Shaw said.”
Minister Shaw further emphasised the need for value-added production such as the processing of Irish potato into French fries, and other secondary products toward creating more jobs and making agriculture more profitable for farmers.
In reiterating his call for all idle lands to be put into idle hands, Minister Shaw declared that “it is time for action now”.
He encouraged lessees who are not utilizing lands they hold “to lend it out to somebody else”.
Minister Shaw assured the small farmers that the Government is prepared to give them the support required to make sure they live better lives.
He said that there were several large investors who were interested in cultivating large acreages of land with a view of entering into crop-lien contracts with small and medium size farmers.
For his part, Minister without portfolio in the Ministry, the Hon J.C. Hutchinson, stated that for the upcoming Irish potato season the Ministry, through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, will be establishing the Agriculture Push Start Programme, which will initially focus on onions, Irish potatoes and Scotch bonnet peppers.
Farmers, he said, will be provided with the inputs and the costs deducted when crops are sold but will be responsible for land preparation and cultivation of the crops.
Another initiative mentioned by Minister Hutchinson was the establishment of production zones where farmers will be provided with roads and water harvesting facilities such as ponds and water tanks to facilitate increased production.
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