Agriculture minister details China Alpart talks, fisheries gains and draft 10-year farm plan

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green used a post-sectoral briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister to expand on priorities he raised in Parliament, stressing food security, value-added mining, and sector resilience ahead of the 2026 hurricane season.

Green said a planned trip to China will focus on talks with Jisco, owner of the idle Alpart alumina plant in St. Elizabeth. The company completed asset verification, exploration and land reclamation but not the phased reopening the Government expected last year; Hurricane Melissa was cited in December as a further delay. Green said 2026 must be the year reopening starts, given bauxite reserves, aluminum prices and the parish economy. The delegation will also meet operators linked to Pan Caribbean Sugar and explore agricultural partnerships with Chinese officials.

On red mud, he said Jamaica has long known rare earth potential and is pursuing commercial extraction over about two years, building on a Jamaica Bauxite Institute pilot. He reiterated that minerals discovered while processing licensed ore must be reported and attract royalties, and noted growing global interest in critical minerals, including United States-linked processing tied to bauxite shipped to Louisiana.

In fisheries, Green credited the National Fisheries Authority for scaling staff after becoming an authority. Projects include finishing a tilapia hatchery this year with about $200 million in funding to sharply increase fry supply, expanding freshwater prawn production, seaweed and oyster recovery support after Melissa, and commercializing sea-cage snapper farming after a successful pilot—the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean. More than 3,000 boats were damaged in the storm; the ministry has distributed wire and run boat-and-engine support, trained 320 fishers for farther offshore pelagic fishing, and plans wider ice access at beaches. Licensing is now digital, with renewals above 50 percent and turnaround cut from months to days; some offences will move to a ticketing system from September.

A draft 10-year national agricultural development plan, supported technically by the FAO, is on the ministry website for public comment, with a stakeholder workshop planned and finalization targeted for the end of the second quarter of the financial year. Green highlighted technology tools through RADA, greenhouse expansion, agro-park utilization, irrigation works including Essex Valley, and Jamaica hosting the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture from 27 September to 2 October 2026, with an official launch set for 21 May.

Responding to journalists, he said fertilizer remains available despite Middle East tensions but world input costs are rising, with limited pass-through to farmers so far and expected support from Morocco. Fuel depots for fishers are planned, starting with Trelawny within about two months. He said no onion import licences have been approved since last year during the local season, defended stricter mining reclamation and a public complaints app, and urged all farmers to register to access support and meet enforcement requirements.