Ministry of Agriculture

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President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant, said the organization fully supports the Government's thrust to use Labour Day activities to focus on agriculture, by encouraging Jamaicans to grow more of what they eat.

He said it was extremely important to re-culture Jamaicans toward agriculture and the more than 100,000 members of the JAS would be working and collaborating with the Government in this Labour Day effort.

He told JIS News that this national drive will create a significant platform in going forward in terms of the development of the country's agricultural sector. "The Government is saying to the nation that they are serious about taking agriculture to the next level," he stated.

Applauding the Labour Day theme: 'Grow what you eat, eat what you grow' Senator Grant noted that it was in keeping with the focus of the JAS through its 'Eat Jamaican' campaign, which was launched in 2003. "We need to reduce our reliance on imported products and intensify our production of locally grown products and by so doing, we will certainly slow down the gap between imports and exports," he noted.

He told JIS News that the JAS, some three years ago, had partnered with the National Housing Trust (NHT) to look at promoting container and backyard gardening in some housing schemes and more than 300 school gardens have been established under the 4-H Movement.

He added that Jamaica has the capacity to produce substantially more than it currently produces. He pointed out that unfortunately, because of liberalization, the country had stopped producing certain items locally, but with the current global food crisis, this practice has to be revisited.

"It now leads us to expand our productive capacity to grow for ourselves so I embrace it. I welcome it and the JAS will be partnering with the Government in this Labour Day effort," he told JIS News.

He called on Jamaicans to come out and participate this Labour Day, and to plant something in their private plot, in their backyard or even in a container.

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