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Jamaica is the first Caribbean country to use Smart Traps in the surveillance and monitoring of insects that could impact local crops.

First installed in November last year, the acquisition of 125 Smart Traps was done through a partnership between the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and the Plant Quarantine and Produce Inspection (PQPI) Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining.

So far, 95 per cent of the traps, which were sourced from Slovenia, have been installed.

There are two types of traps; one targeting the Medfly and the other the Tomato...

All cold-storage facilities to be built or renovated by the Government to extend the shelf life of agricultural produce will be operated using renewable energy, says Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green.

He provided the update during the 20th Jamaica Stock Exchange Investments and Capital Markets Conference, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston recently.

Mr. Green said the Government is investing $1 billion to build out cold storage facilities and encouraged private-sector entities to partner with the Administration to operationalise...

Seven additional irrigation travellers, valued approximately $35.37 million, have been acquired by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining for the Bodles Agricultural Research Station in St. Catherine.

These are expected to aid in significantly increasing the size of livestock pastures at the facility from 168 to 400 acres.

The five Type 100 R2/1A and two Type 100 R2/1B travellers, which were handed over on Wednesday (January 29), bring the number procured for the research station to 12.

They were acquired under phase two of the Rehabilitation of Research...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is ramping up efforts to get more young people involved in agriculture.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, said that the scholarship programme will be enhanced to empower students to pursue career opportunities in the sector.

“Last year, we offered 253 scholarships to youth across Jamaica. The $23.5 million that we are spending in relation to our scholarships would have helped 99 tertiary students from the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE) and the HEART/NSTA Trust Ebony Park Academy, and 151 secondary...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says the opening of two rehabilitated farm roads (Grants Bailey and Thatch Walk to Norwood), will significantly boost agricultural production in St. Ann.

Addressing farmers, residents and other stakeholders in Grants Bailey recently, Mr. Green said that the roads will not only assist farmers in these two deep-rural communities in gaining better access to their properties but will also mark a transformative step for the region’s agricultural sector, which has long struggled with inadequate infrastructure.

“Just a...

More than 100 new smart traps have been installed at Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) offices and ports of entry across the island.

The traps, which are expected to enhance the surveillance and monitoring of pests, target the Tomato Leafminer and Medfly, which are not yet in Jamaica.

Identifier/Entomologist in the Plant Quarantine Produce Inspection (PQPI) Unit in Kingston, Karen Barrett Christie, told JIS News that because these pests can devastate the agricultural sector, these proactive measures are crucial.

“Every RADA office in the country has a...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is looking to partner with private-sector companies to integrate more technology in the sector to improve farming practices, particularly on small farms.

Addressing the 20th Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) Investments and Capital Markets Conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston recently, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, underscored the importance of infusing technology in the sector.

“We have to transform agriculture through technology. How we do agriculture now has to be different than how we did it 10… or 20...