Hugh Martin
RURAL DEVELOPMENT seems to be the buzz word on the local scene these days. Ever since the four contestants in the race for the presidency of the People's National Party (PNP) included it as one of the main planks in their programme for national transformation, the concept has picked up new currency. Almost every speaker at recent agricultural functions seems compelled to recommend rural development as the answer to the burgeoning crime problem. And the policy makers give the impression that they are listening at last.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, speaking at the Rural Agricultural Development Autho-rity's 15th anniversary exhibition shortly after her presidential victory, took the opportunity to assure us that her campaign promise of making agriculture one of her top priorities was not just a gimmick. If we still had doubts, they were emphatically dismissed when she created a super Ministry of Agriculture with the addition of land and water.
And more was to come. When the budget allocations were announced, agriculture received a whopping $3.8 billion - a 58 per cent increase over last year in keeping, obviously, with its greater responsibility and importance. And perhaps to put the icing on the cake, Finance Minister Omar Davies in his budget presentation announced that agricultural inputs would be made zero-rated for GCT purposes.
Agriculture has never had it so good, has it? And we're on the way to rural development, aren't we? Well, let's not get carried away yet. Of course, farmers will be very happy with the easing of the burden of 16.5 per cent GCT on the cost of their inputs which is one of the things they have been pleading for. They will also be very happy with the return of irrigation to the Ministry of Agriculture as the perception is that their needs will be more understood and given more sympathetic attention there. Whether that is fanciful or a reasonable assumption only time will determine. What is for sure is that those announced measures are just touching the surface of the real problems the farming sector has been documenting over the past decade and a half.
HIGH INTEREST RATES
The matter of the high interest rates on farm credit still remains a major obstacle to viability in agricultural ventures. The absence of a structured marketing system flies in the face of the calls for increased production, and the virtual non-existence of insurance for most crops combine to make farming the riskiest and least attractive of all endeavours. The rural road network needs to be dealt with in a consistent manner. The cattle sub-sector is crying out for attention as the world-acclaimed dairy and beef breeds are threatened with extinction.
And we haven't even considered praedial larceny which is claimed to rob farmers of some five billion dollars annually. Admittedly, the newest attempt to deal with this is finally about to begin with the printing of 100,000 receipt books to be used in the tracking of produce suspected to be stolen. While many are sceptical about the effectiveness of this system, it deserves a try.
QUESTION REMAINS
The question remains though - is this: What is meant by rural development? Certainly, farming forms the basis of the concept but the manner in which it has been practised has never been able to capture the imagination of the youth, without which the rural to urban drift will continue unabated.
Rural development must be approached in a well formulated and structured manner that will include all aspects of human interest. People in the rural areas must have similar amenities to those in the cities, equal opportunities for education, employment, entertainment and all other forms of self-expression and fulfilment. These do not just happen by themselves but come about by enlightened vision and careful planning and execution.
Dr. Chelston Brathwaite, director general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture and a former representative in Jamaica, is an ardent advocate for rural development which he describes as the new rurality. I will look at his concept next time.
Hugh Martin is a communication consultant and farm broadcaster who may be reached at humar@cwjamaica.com.
