By Damion Mitchell, Farmers Weekly Co-ordinator 
Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke speaking in Parliament on Tuesday. - Rudolph Brown/Staff Photographer
AGRICULTURE MINISTER Roger Clarke said in Parliament on Tuesday, that a comprehensive plan was been developed for the fishing industry, which would outline a strategic approach to fisheries management and development planning.
Making his contribution to the 2004/05 sectoral debates, Mr. Clarke said the draft document dubbed: 'A policy framework and strategic plan for sustainable fisheries in Jamaica', would be completed by the end of June - the same time that the instructions for the reviewing of the Draft Fisheries Bill to complement the new comprehensive policy is expected to be presented.
According to Mr. Clarke, the policy and the Bill address a number of issues raised during last year's series of consultations among stakeholders of the fishing sector. Among them, the lack of effective organisation of fisher folks, the need to increase fines for illegal fishing and the failure of the authorities to enforce mesh sizes and other fishing gear limitations.
BENEFICIARIES
"We confidently predict that the people of Jamaica will be the beneficiaries of the project," said Mr. Clarke.
Only recently a group of fisher folks from San Andres, Colombia who visited the island expressed concern at the issues affecting the fishing sector in general due to the bad practices of some fisher folks.
They had also indicated that these practises, including over-fishing were threatening the viability of the industry.
But Mr. Clarke said on Tuesday that despite the issues affecting the industry, fishing had contributed to the 5.7 per cent increase in the Gross Domestic Product of the agricultural sector.
Turning to the banana industry, the agriculture minister said that despite the closure of Victoria Banana Company in Clarendon, which produced approximately 7,000 tonnes of the fruit, the sector continued to perform well.
"The fact is that local annual consumption is now at 100,000 tonnes and this is in no small way due to the growth of the Banana Chips Industry," he said.
However, export in the region declined from 87,000 tonnes to 40,000.
MAJOR PROJECTS
In the meantime, Mr. Clarke said his Ministry would be focusing on increasing the number of youth involved in agriculture through two major projects. Under an $18 million programme, the Agricultural Support Services Project has leased 200 acres of land at Amity Hall in -- that will be deployed to 20 young farmers initially, to cultivate pepper and escallion. While a honey bottling project, which will include the establishment of 50 apiaries for each of the 100 youth set to benefit, will be undertaken.
The youths will be required to produce honey to be processed at a bottling plant scheduled to come on stream by the end of June in St. Catherine.
"I have never felt more optimistic about sector than I feel now. We have problems in some areas but the areas of opportunities far outweigh the problem areas," said Mr. Clarke.
