“The National Irish Potato Programme has
earned its reputation as a success story for Jamaican agriculture and in
addition to that, it has become a model for our import substitution strategy,
which we are also now applying to other crops such as onion
Minister without
Portfolio in MICAF, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson speaking about the National Irish
Potato Programme
Potatoes
are set to get their far share of attention from the Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries.
This
as the MICAF (Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries) has
decided to spend $50 million on the National Irish Potato Programme as reported
in the article “$50M
Provided For National Irish Potato Programme”, published August 26, 2017 By
Tashion Hewitt Stennett, The Jamaica Information
Service.
The announcement was made on August 24 2017 by Minister without Portfolio in MICAF, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, at a national Irish potato stakeholders’ seminar at the National Irrigation Commission research station in Hounslow, St. Elizabeth.
The aim is to provide money for pesticides and
fertilizers to increase productivity by 11 per cent (equating to 17 tonnes per
hectare and thus make Jamaica self-sufficient in our production of potatoes.
Several government agencies, Private Sector companies and farm associations are
already supporting the National Irish Potato Programme:
1. PROPEL
(Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and
Linkages)
2. Newport-Fersan
3. H
& L Agro
4. POPA
(Potato and Onion Producers Association)
5. RADA
(Rural Agricultural Development Authority)
This
$50 million is the first part of a $1.6 billion set aside for the National
Irish Potato Programme to provide crop care and productivity support. Already
the National Irish Potato Programme has achieved 99% sufficiency rate in local
table potato production; so importation of potatoes may soon be curtailed.
National Irish Potato
Programme - Potential testbed for Vertical Farming and Robotics in Jamaica
The
National Irish Potato Programme can potentially become a model for other crops
such as Onions, which already has an Onion Development Programme as noted in my
blog article
entitled “Why
Onion Development Programme by Agriculture Ministry hints at Drought Resistant
Crops in the Future”.
The
National Irish Potato Programme will also strengthen contracts with farmers and
establish training programs with 20 farm tours for farmers not involved in the
training exercise. Cayman is already set to receive local Irish potatoes via a
pre-clearance arrangement, so the farmers already have a set export market.
Global
warming may mean Vertical Farming may be the future that attracts a younger
generation into Farming as predicted in my blog article
entitled “RADA
says more young Jamaicans pursuing Farming - Agricultural Towers and Robotics”.
Jamaican
farmers need to adapt their agricultural practices to meet this uncertain
climate-change future.
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