NIC gears up for 72nd Denbigh show with irrigation exhibit and Farm Queen sponsorship

The National Irrigation Commission Limited (NIC) is getting ready to join the 72nd Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, set for July 31 to August 2 at the Denbigh Showground in May Pen, Clarendon.

Christeen Forbes, Public Relations Specialist at the NIC, told a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’ that the event will be the first of its kind to resume since Hurricane Melissa struck last year, underscoring how farmers and the wider agricultural sector have bounced back.

“All the other [shows] were postponed indefinitely, so we expect Denbigh is going to be big. What we know as players in the agricultural sector is that our farmers are the real heroes, and they’re very resilient,” she said.

“After Melissa, I went to St. Elizabeth, maybe two days after, and I witnessed a lot of farmers in the field searching for drip hoses, planting seedlings, and that really just demonstrates the resilience of the farmers,” Ms. Forbes added.

At Denbigh, the NIC intends to set up an exhibition space where visitors can find out more about its irrigation offerings and how water underpins farm output.

“Our key function is to provide water to farmers every single day. So, we really consider ourselves to be the heartbeat of the agricultural sector, because without water, there can really be no production,” Ms. Forbes said.

She also indicated that the commission will reach out to people who are not yet customers but want access to its services.

“You can come down to our exhibition and learn how you can become a customer [and] you can start the application process… and understand the different services that we provide,” she said.

Those services cover open canal systems, pipelines, water filling stations, and water trucking where irrigation infrastructure is not in place on the ground.

“How this works is that farmers can take their water truck and go to the water filling station and purchase water and take it back to their farm. The pipeline and the open canal system, in St. Elizabeth and Trelawny…you can call our offices and request water, and then our water trucks will deliver it to your farms,” Ms. Forbes said.

The Denbigh display will also push efficient irrigation practices and careful stewardship of water.

“We want our farmers and every Jamaican to be efficient in how they’re using water. Whether they are customers or not, we understand the importance of managing water [as] we’re in a climate crisis,” Ms. Forbes said.

“Our team will be there, and we’re ready and waiting to interact with everyone about irrigation [and] learning about the major irrigation projects that will transform how we do agriculture across Jamaica. We want to invite everyone to come to Denbigh and to ensure that you don’t leave Denbigh without coming to NIC,” she added.

Separately, the NIC will sponsor Tishuria Clarke in the National Farm Queen Competition, staged by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) during the annual show.

“We’re very happy to support any initiative that promotes youth in agriculture and, of course, promotes women in agriculture,” Ms. Forbes said.