WESTERN BUREAU: AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT was placed high on a list of "10 Pledges" on the "JLP Action Manifesto" that was presented to the electorate during the election campaign. In fact, in order of presentation, Agricultural Development is third place on the list of the party's Ten-action plan, following Economic Growth and Job Creation. The funding of agriculture expansion programme was deemed to be of high priority action, according to the JLP manifesto. "The JLP [would have] develop agriculture to support farmers, with assistance from loan programme for Low Interest Farming Expansion (LIFE)", if they had assume the office of government. Their proposal was to implement LIFE, a programme to work with the Development Bank of Jamaica and the PC bank networks to use bank surpluses for providing low cost credit to small farmers. The JLP manifesto promoted the establishment of a major agriculture task force that would emphasise the best agriculture practices to increase production at lower production cost. "Establish a major "new look" agricultural task force to establish and share the "best practices" in improving yields and reducing production costs, identify ways to increase access of small farmers to low cost credit, and put in place mechanisms to provide farmers with increase access to farm equipment". One point that would have been good news to the country's farmer is the promise to "actively use safeguard legislation to protect farmers" [a reference, it appears, to adverse competition from imported farm products], and vigorously enforce existing praedial larceny laws. They were planning to provide irrigation sources for all sizeable parcels of idle lands islandwide (totalling some 50,000 acres), launch a major technological upgrading programme, including centre pivot irrigation, to rescue major export crop like sugar.
INCREASE PRODUCTION
The production of nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, essences and flavouring from indigenous plant species through biotechnology research, the promoting of soil-less hydroponics to considerately increase vegetable production, and development of new marketable varieties of Jamaican fruits and flowers were part of the JLP proposal. A "Million Tree" planting programme and widespread planting of crops such as Lucaena (for animal feed) is a part of a comprehensive policy to prevent soil erosion. The JLP manifesto revives a former proposal to develop a market intelligent system, as they put it, "to facilitate the purchase of produce by hotels and to give information to farmers on future hotel requirements", and additionally to introduce new crops desired by hotels and cruise ships.
IDEAS FOR AGRICULTURE
The JLP's "Pledge" for agriculture proposed no specific plans or makes no overture to the livestock sector, no allusion to attracting the youth to a career in agriculture. Farmers Weekly note: The Minister of Agriculture Roger Clarke this week met with a wide cross-section of the agriculture sector and shadow ministers of the JLP and NDM to discuss the sector. The election manifestos of the political parties were up for examination with intention of combining ideas to fast track agriculture production.
