- Michael Sloley/Freelance Photographer
Senator Norman Grant, newly-elected president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), addresses employees of the society at his first meeting with them Thursday, in the JAS board room, Church Street, Kingston.
Damion Mitchell, Staff Reporter
AGRICULTURE MINISTER Roger Clarke on Thursday handed over a cheque for $5 million to the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) to develop a new marketing system.
At the JAS annual general meeting last week Wednesday, Mr. Clarke first announced that the society would be given $10 million to establish a proper central marketing system for the agricultural sector. This, he said, would ease the plight of several farmers who have long incurred losses, due to their inability to identify markets for their crops.
OPPOSED
But J.C. Hutchinson, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Spokesman on Agriculture has opposed Mr. Clarke's decision to designate the responsibility of the marketing system to the JAS. In his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Mr. Hutchinson said while the system was necessary, it should be a portfolio of the Minister.
At the launch of the 2003 Denbigh Agri-Industrial Show at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston, Thursday, Minister Clarke defended his decision. "If the JAS working with the farmers and the respective industries cannot find a way to deal with marketing system, nobody else can," he said.
In the meantime, JAS president, Senator Norman Grant, said that a 12-member board comprising representatives from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), the JAS and corporate entities has been established to manage the operations of the JAS Commercial Enterprises Ltd., a new company which will operate the marketing system.
He said the $10 million start up capital from the agriculture ministry would allow the company to arrange systems to ensure that the marketing of produce begins within two months. Senator Grant explained that the marketing company would purchase agricultural produce from farmers and would market those of higher standards overseas, as well as locally. The remainder, he said would be sold to agro processing companies.
The marketing system would be initially implemented on a pilot basis in St. James, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, Manchester and northern Clarendon and will operate from the JAS headquarters, in Kingston, in the early stages.
