In keeping with Government’s climate change adaptation programme, farmers’ groups in several
vulnerable farming communities in the parishes of Clarendon, St. Thomas, St. Ann, Manchester and
Trelawny have been provided with hand tractors. Ten farmers groups were presented with 22 hand
tractors under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ GOJ/Adaptation Fund Programme at a handover
function at the Ministry on September 1.
Donated by Food For The Poor, the tractors will facilitate proper land preparation said the Hon Derrick
Kellier, Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, as he expressed appreciation for the tractors
on behalf of the farmers. The tractors are intended to facilitate increased productivity as many of the
farmers are unable to optimise production due to the terrain on which they farm.
“This partnership among Food For The Poor, the farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture is a significant
one for the agricultural sector because it demonstrates the will and the capacity to join hands together
as we work towards achieving a common goal, said Minister Kellier.
The Agriculture Minister commended the farmers for their resilience, noting that in spite the impact of
the drought on the agricultural sector which has led to a 4.6 % decline in domestic agricultural
production in the April to June quarter of 2015, the overall sector grew by approximately 0.5%. This, he
said, was due to better performances by the traditional export crops of banana, coffee and sugar.
In acknowledging the challenges being faced by the sugar industry, Minister Kellier said “We believe the
sector has the potential to survive on a commercial basis. And so shortly, we will take to parliament our
proposal for the way forward.”
Some $92 million has been spent under the GOJ Adaptation Fund Programme to support 2,100 farmers
in 50 communities across seven targeted parishes contributing to the improvement of irrigation
facilities. This has resulted in an incremental increase in production of over 7,500 metric tonnes of crops
such as onion, Irish potato and hot peppers.
The Ministry, through the GOJ Adaptation Fund, has also been supporting farmers with rainwater
harvesting infrastructure, small-scale drip irrigation systems, production and productivity inputs, land
husbandry infrastructure and training in climate-smart agriculture.