Edmond Campbell, News Coordinator

Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, is lifted to the platform by Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Deputy General Secretary André Franklyn (left), Ruddy Spencer and other party supporters at a JLP rally in Spaldings, Clarendon,on Sunday. - Nathaniel Stewart/Freelance Photographer

,LEADER OF the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Bruce Golding, shifted the political debate on Sunday to the agricultural sector, decrying what he said was a dramatic decline in agricultural output over the last 10 years. He was addressing thousands of supporters in the strong farming com-munity of Spaldings Clarendon.

Comparing the performance of the agricultural sector in 1997 with the current output, Mr. Golding quoted from statistics, which he said showed that the sector was now in serious decline.

He said the contribution of the agricultural sector to the country's economy had been cut in half, falling from 10 per cent to about five per cent.

Technology-drivenagriculture was proposed as the way forward by Mr. Golding, who promised to put back extension officers in the field to teach farmers how to use the new technology to create increased output and revive the sector.

Promises for better aid

"We have failed the farmers of this country ... Farming is hard work and it will always be hard work, but farming don't have to be hard life and, therefore, when we form the next government we are going to drive that technology," he said.

Mr. Golding pledged that a JLP administration would assist farmers in accessing loans at interest rates comparable to their competitors in the region. In addition, the JLP leader said that a government led by him would help farmers to find markets, locally and overseas for their produce.

With many Jamaicans calling for more issues to be debated in the run-up to the general election, Mr. Golding shifted focus to public transportation, namely the taxi business, which he said provided a critical service to Jamaicans.

He said if there were legislation that gave the police authority to seize taxis for breaches including illegal parking and overloading, among others, the JLP would amend the law to allow the police to issue tickets for these offences.

Mr. Golding said the seizure of operators' taxis only created unnecessary hardships for persons who earn a living from the use of their vehicles.

A JLP government, according to Golding, would declare amnesty for all robot taxis, and give them an opportunity to operate under the legal system.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com