By Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer SENATOR NORMAN Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) has called for a 25-year national agricultural plan to restore the 'pride of place' the sector once held in Jamaica's economy.
He made the call at yesterday's launch of the society's farmers' month in Kingston, where he also announced the establishment of a National Praedial Larceny Secretariat (NPLS) to support anti-theft legislation before Parliament.
According to the JAS president, the time has come for the agricultural sector to part with the short-term two to three year agriculture plan, and instead implement a long-term plan that will yield more from agriculture.
"I'm calling at this time for us to have a national consensus on the development of agriculture where we now go into planning for between 20 and 25 years," he said.
The Senator said with the Government leading, the Opposition, and other stakeholders would combine to develop a programme that enjoys national consensus.
"Agriculture is not something you can play politics with," the Government Senator stated. "It is too much of a fundamental sector to do that. It has effects of bringing down crime and the creation of employment."
He told farmers that a long-term agricultural plan would not be expected to be largely influenced by whatever Government exists.
PLANT CARROT
"If you plant carrot, it doesn't wait until the PNP (People's National Party) or the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) government comes in to grow, it grows anyway based on the climatic condition," he said, suggesting that the agricultural plan be subjected to a three or five-year assessment.
Citing figures that close to 49 per cent of arable land in Jamaica was not being used, and that 48 per cent of the population live in rural communities, Senator Grant said special emphasis must be placed on agriculture as he lobbied for commonality among stakeholders.
ECONOMIC MODELS
"We are going to put agriculture first, we are going to rebuild rural communities, and we are going to give agriculture its pride of place in terms of priority on the economic models," the JAS president said.
Meanwhile, Senator Grant said the NPLS secretariat will comprise representatives of the JAS, the police, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), and members of the farming community. Dr. Trevor Dewdney, JAS member, has been appointed to chair the secretariat which will have an initial six-month life span.
"The specific terms of reference of the secretariat will ensure that when the Bill is passed in Parliament, we are fully ready to implement a zero-tolerance strategy with respect to praedial larceny," Grant said.
