Friday, February 12, 2016

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Derrick Kellier (2nd left) examines yam being shown to him by farmer Althea Pryce of the Thompson Town Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) branch. Occasion was a tour of display booths at the 2016 Hague Agricultural and Livestock Show in Trelawny on Wednesday. Vice-president of the JAS Donald Berry (left) and president of the Trelawny JAS Wendell Stewart (partially hidden at second right) were also on the tour.

MINISTER of Agriculture and Fisheries Derrick Kellier says the country’s food import bill declined by 11.5 per cent last year, representing savings of $10.5 billion (US$88.7 million) over the corresponding period in 2014.

He was speaking Wednesday at the 2016 Hague Agricultural and Livestock Show in Falmouth, Trelawny.

Minister Kellier credited the decline to “deliberate strategies” to increase food production, including the agro-parks programme.

“We have been able to attain self-sufficiency in pork, poultry, table Irish potato and in most vegetables and ground provisions,” he said. He said that despite drought, there were increases in the production of crops such as coffee, banana, and cassava.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Food-import-bill-down-by-11-5-per-cent_51514