By Judana Murphy
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (DPI) – Minister of agriculture, fisheries and mining, Floyd Green, says there will be adequate food supply for Christmas.
“Based on the pace of the recovery, based on the support that we have provided, we do expect that we will have a good Christmas. We do expect that we will have adequate supplies, especially of our vegetable lines,” minister Green said, addressing Wednesday’s, post-cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, where he gave an update on the progress of the recovery of the agriculture sector following the battering of hurricane Beryl.
The ministry is also working with chicken farmers to rebuild domestic chicken production. Distribution of layer chickens will begin shortly to assist with rebuilding the egg sector. The recovery of the 48,000 farmers impacted has been promising.
“We do know that the journey is going to be long, but we are seeing some positive signs. We’ve started already to see local production re-emerge and this is… from the areas that were hardest hit,” he shared, noting that the ministry had projected that production would return in October.
Encouraging Jamaicans to buy local produce to assist the recovery process, minister Green said:
“It makes sense that we continue to buy local so that our farmers and our fishers are encouraged to continue to go out and do the work. Let us continue to support our farmers, let us work collaboratively to ensure that they not only recover from this disaster but thrive in years to come.”
Minister Green continued:
“The resilience and commitment of our farmers, combined with the support of the government and our partners, has been paving the way for a stronger, more sustainable agricultural sector in Jamaica. I am confident that we can build a resilient agricultural landscape that will secure our nation’s food future.”
