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Home | Canada Supports Jamaica’s Rural Women and Youth Farmers with Super Elite Potato Seeds
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (third from right), and Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Mark Berman (third from left), pose for a photo with a specialised container of Chieftain Super Elite potato seeds that will be distributed to rural potato farmers to help restore their livelihoods, at Glastonbury Purveyors Company in Lorrimers, Trelawny, on Wednesday (January 7). They are joined by (from left) Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Garnet Edmondson; Custos Rotulorum of Trelawny and Managing Director of Glastonbury Purveyors Company, Hon. Hugh Gentles; Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter; and Country Coordinator at World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Caribbean, Nelsa English-Johnson.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has partnered with the Government of Canada to support more than 500 rural women and youth farmers through the distribution of Chieftain Super Elite potato seeds and crop recovery technology packs. This initiative aims to bolster food security and revitalise rural economies affected by Hurricane Melissa.
The programme forms part of a J$17 million agricultural recovery initiative under the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Caribbean’s Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean (SAC) Project. It is funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented with the support of the Ministry through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). Distribution began on January 7, following the ceremonial opening of a specialised container of Chieftain Super Elite potato seeds at Glastonbury Purveyors Company in Lorrimers, Trelawny.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, emphasised the importance of the initiative, noting that the Super Elite potato seeds, renowned for their superior genetics, will enhance resilience against the ongoing challenges of climate change.
“It is very important that we are now distributing the gold standard of Canadian genetics, offering local farmers seeds that provide better resistance to pests and
diseases and deliver higher marketable yields. This effectively gives them a head start in the race against climate change,” Minister Green stated during yesterday’s (January 7) ceremonial opening.
Minister Green lauded the initiative for strategically targeting the most vulnerable players in the sector by ensuring that 60% of beneficiaries are women, 20% are young people, and 20% are men.
“When you invest in [our female farmers], what you find [is that] they re-invest in their enterprise. They will make it multiply. However, we are not just focusing on our women we are also specially targeting our youth who often times have challenges to get into their agricultural enterprise,” he explained.
Minister Green expressed gratitude to the Government of Canada for its tangible support in Jamaica’s recovery efforts.
Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Mark Berman, underscored Canada’s ongoing commitment to strengthening Jamaica’s food systems
“The SAC project, well established over the past five years, has trained more than 3,300 farmers in climate-resilient production techniques and 180 extension officers as trainers, who have helped transfer technical knowledge across communities,” he noted.
He further highlighted innovations under the project, including bamboo greenhouses and rapid multiplication techniques for yams, which have already led to significant production gains.
