Rayon Dyer, Gleaner Writer
BLACK RIVER, St. Elizabeth:
FARMERS IN St. Elizabeth who were affected by the recent hurricanes and floods have been receiving assistance, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has reported.
Speaking in an interview with Farmers Weekly, Neville Morgan, the deputy parish manager of the St. Elizabeth RADA office, said a number of affected farmers have been receiving assistance through the agency's drought assistance programme, the hurricane relief programme and the production incentive programme. He said the natural disasters have had a negative impact on agriculture throughout 2005.
"We were able to assist the farmers in St. Elizabeth, through the drought assistance programme, the hurricane relief programme and the production incentive scheme," Mr Morgan said.
He explained that farmers were assisted mainly with planting materials, fertiliser, chemicals and technical information. This, Mr. Morgan said, was done with the help of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Jamaica Bauxite Institute and the Jamaica Business Recovery Programme.
