Government to Establish Pension Scheme for Farmers

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Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Government is moving to establish a pension scheme for farmers as part of a broader push to ensure they receive full social protection comparable to other professions.

Speaking at the Ministry’s ‘Thank-A-Farmer’ Wellness Fair, held at Harmony Beach Park in St. James on April 30, the Minister said the initiative forms part of efforts to formalise and strengthen support systems within the agricultural sector.

“The one [initiative] that is not yet in place, but we are working on, is we want to do a pension fund for farmers… so that when you are ready, you can retire from farming and have a pension,” he said.

He underscored that the move is intended to address long-standing challenges faced by farmers who often remain in the field due to the absence of structured retirement support.

“Sometimes for the farmer, even when they don’t want to go out there, they feel like they need to go out there, because they need to put down a little thing,” Mr. Green noted.

The Minister further emphasised that the Government’s broader objective is to elevate farming to a fully supported profession.

“What we want people to recognise is that farming is as important as every other profession… so what we want is that you have everything that every other profession has,” he outlined, adding that this includes access to health insurance, crop insurance and pension support.

The wellness fair formed part of activities for Farmers’ Month and brought together several agencies and private-sector partners offering health services, insurance products and other support to farmers.