WESTERN BUREAU:
SMALL-SCALE farmers in four eastern parishes, under the Ministry of Agriculture's Eastern Jamaica Agricultural Support Project (EJASP), are getting needed assistance from the government and the European Union
" What has been targeted is to implement some 75 viable and sustainable income generating sub-project impacting directly on the target group which is 5,600 small scale farmers and this is a primary focus of EJASP, says project co-ordinator Leslie Grant at a workshop held at the Hilton Hotel this week.
The workshop was organised to address the problems of rural/urban drift, unemployment and achievements in the agriculture sector and had as its theme "Stimulating Small Farm Business Activities in Jamaica". According to Mr. Grant, studies have shown that most rural families practice small-scale farming and it is in this context the role of the small farmers is being viewed as very important.
In his contribution to the workshop, Brad Wong of Sovereign Supermarket said that purchasing local produce is their first option. "The farmers need to improve on the quality of produce, grow a more consistent product and, in a sense, become more involved tin the deliver of their product to the supermarket.
Another speaker at Wednesday's workshop, Peter Fielding, representing Sandals Ocho Rios, indicated that his resort also gives preference to local suppliers of agriculture produce. "We are committed to giving our assistance wherever it is needed in programmes like these. We continue to give our support to local farmers by continuing to purchase local produce rather than imported ones".
The EJASP, now in its 34th month and slated to end in March 2005, is funded by the European Union to the tune of 6.9 million euro and $1.1 million from the Jamaican Government.
