Tue | Nov 18, 2025

Growth & Jobs | Gov’t focused on getting farmers back into production

Published:Tuesday | November 18, 2025 | 12:08 AM
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green (second right), joins in the handover of a cheque valued at $500,000 to the United Way of Jamaica’s Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund by Jamaica’s 100-metre World Champion, Oblique Seville (s
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Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green (second right), joins in the handover of a cheque valued at $500,000 to the United Way of Jamaica’s Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund by Jamaica’s 100-metre World Champion, Oblique Seville (second left). The presentation was made at a press conference to officially launch the fund on Tuesday, November 11, at the offices of the Private Sector of Jamaica in St Andrew. Sharing in the moment (from left) are Chair of the Board of Governors, United Way of Jamaica (UWJ), Dr Devon Smith; Officer in Charge, UWJ, Kerry-Lee Lynch; and Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica Agricultural Society, Derron Grant.

MINISTER OF Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, says the Government is moving swiftly to get farmers back into production following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

“The reality is that this can’t wait, and as we seek to restore the livelihoods of people in the most impacted areas, the best way to do that is to get them to have a source of income again to help their families,” he said.

He was addressing the official launch of the United Way of Jamaica’s Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica in St Andrew on November 11.

The fund will primarily assist the farming community through the provision of financial assistance, equipment, and supplies to help farmers rebuild their farms, homes, and livelihoods.

Minister Green welcomed the support for the agricultural industry.

He said that 70,000 farmers across the island suffered extreme impact from the hurricane with almost 100 per cent of banana and plantain crops, and 70 per cent of yam crops wiped out.

He noted that the fisheries sector was also severely impacted.

“I can tell you that of all the weather events that we’ve been through, the damage that this one has done to our fishing sector is tremendous. Over 148 beaches have already been assessed and at least 3,000 boats have been completely destroyed. It is almost half of our fishing fleet, and, as you know, most of those fishers are small artisanal fishers; they don’t go very far out. That is their only source of income,” Green said.

Minister Green called for more private-public partnerships to support the recovery of the agricultural industry.

“We all have to eat; and, no matter what our station in life is, food is critical for sustenance… . The quicker we can stand up for agriculture, the quicker we can stand up for the fisheries sector, the quicker we can stand up for Jamaica,” he said.

During the ceremony, Jamaica’s 100-metre World Champion, Oblique Seville, handed over $500,000 to United Way of Jamaica’s Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund.

The track star is among partners in the Fund, which was launched with seed financing of $1.5 million.

The other partners are the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Jamaica Agricultural Society, United Way Worldwide, Seprod, Musson Foundation, Jamaica Stock Exchange, Jamaica Social Stock Exchange, J.E.T.S. Limited, Nestlé, and Scotiabank.