Agriculture Minister Proposes Redesign of Denbigh

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, has proposed that the Denbigh Agricultural Show Ground in May Pen, Clarendon, be redesigned.

“We have said to the President and the CEO [of JAS], that we want to come up with a comprehensive Denbigh rehabilitation plan, and we have indicated that we will provide the resources for an architect to do a full redesign of the Denbigh Show Ground. This showground should be a centrepiece, not just when we keep Denbigh [agricultural show] but all year round,” the Minister said.

He was delivering the main address at the128th Annual General Meeting of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), at Denbigh, on Wednesday, July 8.

The Minister argued that Denbigh should be the place where people go for training and see things happening that serve farmers, because it makes no sense having assets that are not being used to help farmers.

He added that more would be said on the subject at this year’s agricultural show to be held in August.

“When people pass here and see nothing happening, they start thinking of other ways to use it and we don’t want those ideas. Denbigh must serve farmers even after we are gone for generations to come, so we have to do some work on Denbigh,” the Minister said.

Mr. Green also pledged to continue providing support for the JAS, noting that there is a new parish office in Hanover and it was financed by the Ministry.

He pointed out that the Government has also provided a tractor as part of its equipment support for the JAS, which is stationed in St. Catherine, and they have fixed the one in Westmoreland.

They have also provided three new generators so that the organisation will have backup power for disaster response. These are located at the head office and in Denbigh.

And as part of plans to further improve the impact of the JAS on the island’s food-security plans, Minister Green told the Society: “I want you to accelerate the pace of rolling out farm stores across the country.

“Some rehabilitation work has been done on the one in Kingston; we are targeting Trelawny, and we have also identified a space in Manchester and in Westmoreland. The Ministry and the JAS will be doing these farm stores,” the Minister said.

He emphasised the importance of the organisation’s involvement in the competition, because if only private operators are allowed, many of the food prices will become unaffordable. With that in mind, the Ministry would be working with the JAS to provide some items at a cheaper rate in order to help drive competition, so farmers can get a better rate for their produce.

“It can’t be that prices go up but never come down; sometimes they go up on the world stage, but they also come down. We have to work with our team to ensure that we keep that space competitive,” Mr. Green said.

Speaking on behalf of Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, Custos of Clarendon, Hon. Edith Chin, said agriculture remains one of the clearest expressions of resilience, ingenuity and capacity for self-reliance.

“Its (JAS) leadership has strengthened the agricultural sector, promoted innovation and provided a vital voice for those whose labour feeds the nation. Every achievement that is worth celebrating is earned through dedication and perseverance. Jamaica’s farmers continue to demonstrate remarkable determination despite facing challenges such as climate change, prolonged drought, extreme weather events rising input costs and praedial larceny,” the Governor-General’s message read.