CLOSE TO 7,000 farmers who have benefited from the European Union (EU) $300 million Eastern Jamaica Agricultural Support Project (EJASP) were awarded as the programme came to an end on last Wednesday.
The farmers were honoured for outstanding achievements in the areas of goat rearing, ginger cultivation, yam production, peppers and carrots, permanent tree crop production and small-scale irrigation.
Project Manager Leslie Grant, in his overview of the project, noted that the programme was designed to address the high cost and unreliable supply of good quality farm inputs; inadequate market outlets and information; inadequate extension service; low availability of appropriate technology; poor road access to farms; lack of irrigation and inappropriate land-use practices.
82 SUB PROJECTS
He said a total of 82 sub projects were implemented under the EJASP in the areas of livestock and honey production, agro processing, small scale irrigation and road rehabilitation.
Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke, who addressed the ceremony held at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, charged the farmers to continue to improve on the start they have received through the
programme.
"The start you have gotten is a start to move up higher. Don't throw up your hands. Get back out there and improve on what you have," he encouraged them.
Ambassador Gerd Jarchow, Head of the European Commission delegation to Jamaica, noted that the EJASP was an example of the EU's long-standing commitment to poverty alleviation and rural development in Jamaica. "I think EJASP has successfully achieved and even in some cases exceeded its objective and has contributed to income generation among the farming households in Jamaica," he stated.
