Agriculture Ministry Urges Farmers with Reliable Water Access to Ramp Up Production for Christmas

• Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, is encouraging farmers with adequate water access to consider doubling their output of ground provisions and vegetables to meet upcoming Christmas demand. The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), National Irrigation Commission (NIC) and Agro-Investment Corporation (Agro-Invest) are rolling out a programme to identify willing farmers in the agro-parks with reliable water access and underutilised land, and to support them with land preparation, seeds and fertiliser, for example, expanding a five-acre operation to 10 acres.
• The Minister noted that farmers in areas without water access cannot viably expand production, even with trucked water. As a result, the push will be concentrated in irrigated areas, with the aim of ensuring sufficient food supply by the peak Christmas season.
• The remarks were made at the official handover of a J$114.59Mn irrigation transmission force main piping system at the Ebony Park Agro Park in Clarendon, undertaken by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) under the second Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI-II). The project involved the installation of 1.8 kilometres of force transmission main, upgrades to existing distribution lines, rehabilitation of the pump at Spring Plain, which serves the shared Ebony Park-Spring Plain network, and installation of pump switchgear. It will improve irrigation service across Ebony Park and the adjoining Spring Plain and Mango agro-parks, which were handed over on September 17.
• The initiative aims to strengthen food security and domestic supply resilience at a time when the agricultural sector is still rebuilding following Hurricane Melissa, but is navigating renewed risks from the super El Niño event that has triggered drought conditions across primarily Eastern parishes. Higher local output of fresh produce ahead of the peak holiday season could help contain seasonal food price pressures, a key contributor to inflation, while simultaneously reducing reliance on imported food, easing pressure on foreign exchange and supporting rural incomes. Over the medium term, investment in irrigation infrastructure should make agricultural output less vulnerable to drought and other climate shocks, reinforcing the sector’s contribution to stable growth. However, the increase in output will be confined to farms with reliable water access, limiting the overall impact on national food supply. In addition, adverse weather, pests and higher input costs could reduce the expected production gains and keep produce prices elevated.

(Sources: JIS & NCBCM Research)