The Editor, Sir:

The issue of agriculture should be of great concern to all Jamaicans. With the rising cost, particularly imported foodstuff, we should be concentrating more on our local produce.

Ricardo Ramsay made some valuable suggestions in The Gleaner on April 3. However, I disagree with his suggestion for taxing these small farmers. This would most likely drive more people off cultivating their available land.

One needs to take into account that apart from banana, coffee and sugar cane plantations, the majority cultivations are not really farms but small holdings on some of the most inhospitable areas where it is done by manpower (physically, by hand). Some of these holdings are a quarter acre or less; the terrain mostly too steep for any mechanical input, lack of the proper means for irrigation, and reaping has to be done manually.

Incentives should be allocated to those already cultivating and encourage others to become involved; not taxation, which would deter participation and production.

I am, etc.,

LES FRANCIS

ashfran2@yahoo.com

Mandeville

Via Go-Jamaica