State Minister Says Farming Will Increase In Bernard Lodge

          Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, says farming in the Bernard Lodge area of St. Catherine will be “significantly” increased.

          He said production will grow in the short term, due to the number of farmers, which is set to increase from 171 to 235, and investment in infrastructure development for the communities under the Greater Bernard Lodge Development Plan.

          According to the State Minister, who spoke at the recent media launch of the Greater Bernard Lodge Development Plan,  at Jamaica House in St. Andrew, the farmers will be able to take advantage of high-tech farming, as a state-of-the-art irrigation system will be installed on the more than 3,000 acres of land that will be under agricultural production.

          He added that seven wells will be rehabilitated, 12 new wells will be constructed, new pumping stationswill be built, and canals will be reshaped and relined and underground piping carried out to assist the farmers.

          “We want to provide systems that will work for our farmers, and we are going to be looking at a fully revamped irrigation network in the Greater Benard Lodge area,” the State Minister said.

          Mr. Green said the 55 farmers who are on the property “informally” will be given “real leases”.

“We are giving them security of tenure, so that they can farm without wondering,” he told the gathering.

          As part of the development for the area, 106 lessee farmers, and the 55 informal farmers will be relocated to another section of the property. They will be allowed to reap their current cash crops and where they have orchard crops, they will be valued and the farmers paid.

          All the farmers will be given rental concession during the first year of the new operation.

           “No farmer in the Bernard Lodge area will be left behind,” the State Minister emphasised.