Agriculture Ministry Rolls Out $149-Million Drought Mitigation Programme for Farmers

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has implemented a $149-million drought mitigation programme to shield farmers from the effects of prolonged drought conditions.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, made the announcement at the launch of the 72nd staging of the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show at Hi-Pro in White Marl, St. Catherine, on Thursday (June 18).

The Minister noted that the Government is taking a proactive approach to managing drought, instead of waiting for a full-scale crisis amid the immediate climate realities facing the country.

“And already in parts of our country, some of our more productive areas, we have… started to truck water to farmers. We’re not waiting until we get into the full-blown drought. We believe prevention is better than cure,” Minister Green said.

He stated that a major component of the allocation will be used to build catchment ponds in areas used by farm groups, although provisions will also be made for single farmers.

“If you have a [farm] group and you have an area in your community that would be good to develop a catchment area, reach out to the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). We will do that free of cost. So that when the rain comes, the little of it that we may get, we want to catch it and use it to drive agricultural enterprise,” Minister Green said.

As for sole practitioners, the Minister informed that if they can do the excavation for the catchment pond, the Ministry will provide the pond liners free of cost.

Meanwhile, Minister Green acknowledged several key areas in the agricultural sector that have not yet fully bounced back despite the remarkable resilience and growth shown since Hurricane Melissa.

To bridge the gap, an additional $250-million recovery programme is being rolled out to support vulnerable crop and livestock farmers.

The Minister stated that approximately $100 million will be used to assist yam farmers to continue their recovery journey, with the remaining going to bee farmers and livestock farmers.

“We know our beekeepers need some additional support, so we’re going to channel some resources to that, [and] our livestock farmers still need some help in building back their coops [and] their pens, so we’re going to provide some support to that,” Minister Green said.

He expressed gratitude to Hi-Pro for its Comeback Coops initiative, which is aimed at assisting backyard poultry farmers to rebuild their infrastructure.