Green outlines Alpart reopening push, rare-earth plans and 10-year farm strategy

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green used a post-sectoral press briefing on 14 May 2026 to set out priorities across mining, fisheries and agriculture, stressing that 2026 must be decisive for the stalled Alpart alumina complex in St. Elizabeth.

Green said land reclamation has resumed at the JISCO-owned site but reopening has not started. Hurricane Melissa delayed timelines discussed with officials in December. With decision-making centred in China, he said the Government will travel there to seek a firm position from JISCO and plant owners, noting global aluminium demand and the parish’s reliance on bauxite and alumina for recovery. The visit will also cover Pan Caribbean Sugar’s Frome operation and wider agricultural cooperation with Chinese authorities.

On mining beyond bauxite, Green said Jamaica is pursuing rare earth elements from red mud, building on a decade-old pilot at the Jamaica Bauxite Institute. Work continues with United States partners linked to the Gramercy alumina refinery in Louisiana, and locally toward a commercial extraction plant within about two years. He reiterated that minerals found while processing a licensed deposit must be reported and attract royalties under the Mining Act.

In fisheries, he credited expanded National Fisheries Authority staffing, a tilapia hatchery due for completion this year with roughly $200 million in funding, freshwater prawn sales to dozens of farmers, and a pilot sea-cage snapper programme described as a first for the English-speaking Caribbean. More than 3,000 boats were damaged by Melissa; the ministry is distributing gear, training fishers for offshore pelagic fishing, and rolling out ice capacity at beaches. Licensing is now largely digital, with renewals above half of previous levels and most checks showing valid documents.

A draft 10-year national agricultural development plan is posted at moa.gov.jm for public comment, with a stakeholder workshop planned before finalisation by the end of the second quarter. Green announced Jamaica will host the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture from 27 September to 2 October, with an official launch set for 21 May. Other pledges include $800 million for 95 greenhouses across four parishes, stronger agro-park utilisation, expanded irrigation, and enforcement of mine reclamation through tools such as the Mining Matters app.

Responding to journalists, he said fertilizer supply remains available though world prices are rising, with Morocco expected to provide support, and that the first fisher fuel depot should open in Trelawny within about two months. Onion import licences have not been approved since last year during the local season.