The Editor, Sir:

Indeed, my heart was overwhelmed with great joy when I read of the tremendous achievement of our young woman in the field of agriculture. Well done, girl! This goes to show that there are still people in our proud country that maintain great ambition and aspiration in the field of agriculture. Our country and economy could benefit far more if we could produce more of such calibre.

I have noticed that there is a great misconception within our society that one can only be successful within certain fields. But if we should consider developed countries such as England, agriculture is a big boost to its economy as most of their produce is home-grown.

However, it is a shame to acknowledge that Jamaicans are ignoring their own natural resources and turning to international food processing.

Most expensive commodities

In the United Kingdom, I have observed that anything labelled with the word 'Jamaica' is viewed as among the most expensive commodities, whether it is food from the farm or any other household amenities.

Jamaicans should continue to produce and export more of their agricultural produce as these are well recognised on the international scene.

We are desperate to have the real dasheen, yellow yam, breadfruit, among other locally-grown food, to flood the Bull Ring Market in Birmingham.

Jamaicans, please remember how our ancestors worked even without proper equipment to build our economy through agriculture. Let us, therefore, get back to the basics and get our hands dirty again.

I am, etc.,

DWIGHT

phonso256@aol.co.uk

Birmingham

Via Go-Jamaica