Dasheen production increased under Production Incentive Programme

There has been a 4% increase in the production of dasheen for the 2019/20 crop year under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries’(micaf) Production Incentive Programme(pip).

This was disclosed by Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) Zonal Director for the Eastern Zone, Mervyn Green, when compared to the 2018/19 crop year.

Mr. Green also indicated that for 2019/2020 year a total of $10 million was expended on dasheen production, which included the purchase of 32 motorized sprayers.

Plans are now in the pipeline to further increase production by adding more hectares to the existing 21, which will yield roughly 378 tonnes of dasheen for the 2020/21 crop.

“For the 2020/21 crop, we are spending $15 million and we hope to establish 30 hectares. We also want to spend about $3 million to purchase chemicals to help farmers in production to control the taro leafhopper pest,” he said.

A total of 230 farmers are involved in dasheen production across the island and are mainly located in the parishes of Trelawny, St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Clarendon, Portland and St. Elizabeth.

Under the Ministry’s $1.6billion Production Incentive Programme, which is being implemented by RADA, other crops such as ginger, hot peppers, Irish potatoes, onion, sweet yam, strawberry, pineapple and cassava are targeted for development. Over 4,000 farmers are expected to benefit from the programme, directly and indirectly.

Participating farmers have received support and technical assistance from RADA through meetings ,field demonstrations the distribution of planting materials, agricultural chemicals namely insecticides and fungicides, and the distribution of plastic mulch, irrigation and spraying equipment.