St Ann farmers get water truck
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green recently commissioned into service a new 5,000-gallon water truck to benefit farmers in St Ann.
The $15-million unit was procured by the Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited and will be managed by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority. Green, speaking at the commissioning of the truck at the Lydford Industrial Park, said that the truck will provide much-needed relief to farmers amid the ongoing drought conditions. He noted that the unit will serve areas such as Claremont, Moneague, Irons Mountain, Beecher Town and Orange Park.
“Our farmers are facing drier conditions. The reality is that we have already gone into drought and we are still just in the month of April. We have not gotten into the most difficult months of June, July, and August,” the minister pointed out.
“As such, the reality is that
we need to be able to help our farmers navigate these times. We have to get more assets that we can provide to support the people we serve,” he added. In addition to water trucks, these assets include tractors and drones. Green noted that efforts are under way to explore the utilisation of old bauxite wells for irrigation,
further enhancing water access for farmers.
Farmer Megan White, from Alderton, who plants hot pepper and other crops, expressed gratitude for the water truck.
“Now that there is a truck, I could set up one of those black water tanks and use the water from there for the time being. So, it is indeed a very good initiative,” she said.