Poor road conditions, praedial larceny, irrigation, access to finance and new import rules were just a few grouses placed on the table by farmers across Jamaica as they called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to use its influence to set the Government straight on support for the sector.

The agriculture sector contributed up to 7.3 per cent of Jamaica’s gross domestic product in 2016. But since the start of the year, the sector has been placed on the back-burner following the lagged impact of flood events throughout the year. Other times, its drought that stiffens the industry.

The result, declining or flat performance year over year. So much so that the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) has turned its focus on the mining and quarrying industry to improve the growth performance of the economy.

“These are very hard issues, but the real issue is if we are really serious about 5 in 4, or even two per cent growth, say, 3 per cent over the next three years we have to critically look at those issues as a matter of priority,” said President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Norman Grant.

Last Wednesday, the JAS called a meeting with the IMF team led by Uma Ramakrishnan, IMF mission chief for Jamaica. Representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, PIOJ, Bank of Jamaica and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica were also present at the meeting which took place at the JAS headquarters in downtown Kingston.

According to Grant, the JAS is in need of the IMF’s “critical support” if the country’s 250,000 farmers and fishermen are to continue playing the fundamental role in the economic transformation of the Jamaican economy through agricultural development, expansion and integrated rural development.

In fact, the JAS on Wednesday predicted that the sector’s performance for the fourth quarter will again remain flat, after heavy rains from a trough associated with Hurricane Irma lashed the island.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sunday-finance/farmers-call-on-imf-for-help_119460