- Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Minister of Agriculture, Roger Clarke (left), speaking with Mavis Campbell, International Trade Specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture and President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Bobby Pottinger. Occasion was the JAS's Branch Organisers' Training Seminar held on Tuesday at the Farmers' Training Centre, Twickenham Park, St. Catherine. The seminar was held to update field officers on globalisation issues and their impact on rural development.
KINGSTON (JIS):
MINISTER OF Agriculture, Roger Clarke, has said that it was crucial that farmers understood the impact of globalisation and the competition it was "unleashing" on the agricultural sector in order for them to make the necessary adjustments to secure their economic survival.
"If rural development is to have true meaning, the farmers must be the agents of change," Minister Clarke said, noting that Jamaica's agricultural sector was the sole means of economic survival for some 150,000 rural families and the second largest employer of labour. He was speaking on Tuesday (January 7) at the Jamaica Agricultural Society's (JAS) Branch Organisers training seminar, which was held to update parish field officers on globalisation issues and their impact on rural development. The seminar, under the theme, "Globalisation Issues Impacting Rural Development," was organised by the JAS and held at the Farmers' Training Centre in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine. Field personnel spoke about issues affecting the delivery of service to the farming community.
Minister Clarke noted that Government was currently engaged in four international trade negotiations, which he said, would result in the further opening of the domestic markets to imported agricultural products.
Mentioning trade arrangements such as the WTO Negotiations on Agriculture; the Free Trade Area of The Americas (FTTA); the African, Caribbean and Pacific/European Union (ACP/EU) and Economic Co-operation Agreement; and the new EU Tariff-Only Regime, Mr. Clarke said that these negotiations when completed, would result in the reduction of customs duties on a wide range of agricultural products imported from abroad and the removal of traditional preferential market access, previously given to Jamaican products.
"When all these arrangements and negotiations are completed, new ball game. So, therefore, we have to be prepared to deal with that eventuality," the Minister stressed.
He urged farmers to find those niche markets where they could have that competitive advantage and to increase their value-added products," noting that globalisation would also create new market opportunities for the country's products and "farmers must exploit new market opportunities to the fullest when they become available". Commenting on the recent dumping of tomatoes by a farmer, who complained about inadequate markets for his produce, when tomatoes were being sold elsewhere for $200 per pound, Minister Clarke said the problem was a distribution one and not marketing. "These are things we must deal with in a significant way and the Government cannot do it, but the JAS can," he added, while calling on the JAS officials to work with farmers in finding solutions to these problems.
"Let us put our heads together and find out what is out there when, and we can organise ourselves to deal with that," he said.
Additionally, the Minister urged farmers to become members of the JAS and maintain close links with their Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) parish offices so they could be advised about the availability of markets.
Minister Clarke said that this year, the Ministry would tackle the problem of praedial larceny and stray animals to assist farmers in improving their production. With regard to stray animals, he said, Local Government, Community Development and Sport Minister, Portia Simpson Miller was dealing with the problem and she would be making an announcement soon. The Minister also said that he would shortly be announcing plans to reorganise the Ministry of Agriculture. He noted that this was necessary "to reposition agriculture with emphasis on rural development and food security".
"I know many farmers are downhearted -but this year with the limited resources, we are going to husband it properly and we are going to direct it in the areas that make a difference," he said.
Some of the topics discussed at the seminar were: trade issues affecting agriculture, bio-safety, genetically modified foods and agro-processing possibilities, and market trading arrangements. The resource persons were Trade Specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mavis Campbell; Executive Director, National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) Merlene Bardowell and Senior Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Wayne McCook.
