REAPING SUCCESS

... Agri incentives bear fruit

STABILITY IN the agriculture sector, brought on by the Government’s deliberate growth strategy, continuous rains and good crops led to a boost in the country’s food security and the general increases in the agricultural sector.

Here’s a snapshot of agriculture’s growth in a year:

As an incentive to production, the Government gave up some $4.2 billion in annual revenue by removing general consumption tax (GCT) on a range of agricultural items. That pivotal move has led to big returns.

The subgroup agriculture, forestry and fishing experienced a 28 per cent increase, according to the 2016 third-quarter performance report on the economy from the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).

Agriculture was the highest net contributor to the 2.2 per cent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) for that period.

The last year allocated more than $1.1 billion to assist Irish potato farmers and to boost production. The National Potato Expansion Programme represents another strategic initiative to enhance Jamaica’s food security by reducing imports, increasing self-sufficiency and improving the incomes of farmers.

With a demand for over three million pounds of ginger annually, the ministry gave increased attention to tissue culture with the aim of supplying disease-free ginger plants to farmers, especially in the parishes of St James, Portland, Manchester, St Thomas, and Clarendon.

The Government continued to assist the sugar industry by pumping more than $200 million into the sector, while providing $800 million to rehabilitate roads in sugar cane producing areas.

This action kept 50,000 persons in jobs and ensured that the export of the commodity remained strong.

The Government provided $465 million to refurbish the Research and Development Plant Health Lab at the Bodles Agricultural Research Station in St Catherine, which enabled the production of disease-free plants for the agricultural sector.

The relaunch of the National School Garden Programme last year facilitated the provision of breakfast in educational institutions across the island. Some 196 schools have been selected for the first phase of the programme.