CHAIRMAN of the Jamaica Citrus Growers Association, C.V. Bent has reported a 100 per cent increase in the sale of citrus last year when compared to the previous year.
Speaking at the monthly board meeting of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) recently, Mr. Bent said the association sold most of its citrus locally as low world prices inhibited export of the product.
He reported that although citrus trees were lost to the Citrus Tristeza virus in 1993, this did not impact seriously on current production as new trees were planted after the outbreak to replenish the affected trees.
"We are sort of static at the moment with production not increasing despite the new trees and not declining because of the new trees," Mr. Bent told said in a recent news conference. He pointed out that if new trees were not planted soon there could be a decline in production.
The Association's chairman told the meeting that citrus growers would soon be able to access loans for replanting citrus trees, as the Government had secured a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to fund an islandwide citrus replanting programme.
Under the programme, citrus growers will be able to access loans to purchase Tristeza-resistant bud wood and other material for replanting.
Mr. Bent assured citrus growers that there was enough bud wood for citrus replanting, noting that 20,000 seedlings were ready to be distributed and an additional 60,000 seedlings were being prepared. He mentioned that the association had the capacity to produce some 100,000 seedlings per annum.
The objective of the citrus replanting programme is to replant 3,000 hectares of citrus trees in five years and the association will be responsible for providing extension services. The project was launched this week.
The Jamaica Citrus Association has a membership of 2,000 farmers with holdings of between 1,200 to 1,600 hectares of citrus trees.
