Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth & Sports

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The Prime Minister, the Honourable Bruce Golding has said that deciding the Labour Day focus this year, "was easy as we must grow more of what we eat."

Mr. Golding's comments came as he officially launched Labour Day 2008 with the theme, Eat What we Grow.Grow What We Eat, at a function in the orchard at Jamaica House today (1st May 2008).

"The world is facing the worst global food shortage in the last 50 years, perhaps the worst ever because of how widespread it is," the Prime Minister told the gathering of representatives of Government, Opposition, trade union, the faming community, school children and others.

He said that whereas food shortages were usually confined to particular areas, the present situation is so pervasive that countries that would usually export food supplies were now restricting those exports in the interest of their own food security.

"It is absolutely essential to grow more food," the Prime Minister said, "and the Ministry of Agriculture will be leading the way, providing two million fruit trees to be distributed across Jamaica free of charge through RADA. People must develop the habit of planting something."

Mr. Golding announced that the municipality of Portmore will also be used as a pilot project to encourage backyard gardening. Residents of Portmore will be given 400 backyard gardening kits "to get them going", he said.

As a community project, school children will also be getting 200,000 packets of vegetable seeds for planting as a way of encouraging them to set up more school gardens and practise backyard cultivation.

The Minister of Agriculture was represented by Minister of State, the Honourable J.C. Hutchinson and support for the Labour Day initiative came from Mr. Derrick Kellier Opposition spokesman on Labour, Senator Norman Grant, President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, and Mr. Wayne Jones, Chairman of the Joint Trade Unions Research Development Centre.

Mr. Kellier said the Opposition was committed to playing "our role in the process and we are calling on Jamaicans to make it not just an event but a process. It is a good thing to produce for ourselves what we eat."

The Launch was chaired by the Honourable Olivia "Babsy" Grange, Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports (MICYS). Miss Grange who also the chairs the National Labour Day Planning Committee, announced that the National Labour Day Project would be the planting of Fruit Trees and the establishment of a Vegetable Garden and Green House at Buff Bay High School in West Portland.

"And just four miles away at the Tranquility Primary School we will also be putting in a vegetable garden and planting trees," Minister Grange added.

She said the Labour Day message 2008 transcended political boundaries.

Following the presentations there was the planting of June Plum trees in the orchard by Prime Minister Golding partnered by Mrs. Rosemarie Vernon, past president of the Jamaica teachers Association; Minister Grange with Mr. Kellier and Minister of State Hutchinson with a student. Container gardens were also presented to Major Richard Reese, Commissioner of the Correctional Services and to the Jamaica House Basic School.

Labour Day is Friday 23rd May.

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