Agriculture Under

New Super Ministry

VOL. 26 NO. 1 APRIL 2016

FREE COPY

By Patrick Maitland
Editor-The Agriculturalist

he agriculture and fisheries portfolio of the government has been

shifted to the newly established new
super ministry of Industry, Commerce
and Agriculture.

Following the defeat of the Peoples National Party (PNP) at the Feb. 25th general
elections polls, newly appointed Prime Minister and leader of the Jamaica Labour Party
(JLP) Andrew Holness announced an 18man cabinet that included Karl Samuda as
Minister of Industry, Commerce and Agriculture and JC Hutchinson as Minister without Portfolio in the new Ministry.
Holness explains that the new ministry
was part of a strategic move to better facilitate the linkages between commerce and
production. The Prime Minister also recommitted his newly installed government to a
policy of efficiency and frugality in public
and warned that corruption would not be
tolerated.
Samuda said that the unique aspects of
both the industry and commerce and the
agriculture portfolios would be utilised to
facilitate development in a constructive and
productive manner.
He assured staff at the agriculture ministry that he was looking forward to the contribution of every single member of staff to
assist in the building of a strong team committed to creating a sound agro-industry.
In his remarks, Minister Hutchinson,
who will have responsibility for agriculture
and fisheries, highlighted the creation of
agro-economic zones, aimed at utilising
everything grown by farmers, from the raw
material through to value-added products

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

Agriculture
Drone Market

Set to Surge 746%

KARL SAMUDA
Minister of Industry,
Commerce and Agriculture

JC HUTCHINSON
Minister without Portfolio
Ministry of Industry,
Commerce and Agriculture

INSIDE STORIES

PAGE 3 - Excessive Food Imports Hurting farmers!

PAGE 5 - Grant dropped from the Senate
- A bail-out for the sugar industry
PAGE 7 - JAS opposes Agriculture under super ministry
PAGE 12 - Researchers Update
PAGE 13 - Health & Nutrition
PAGE 14 - Youth and Education

By Ben Potter - AgWeb.com

hink drones are already a red-hot topic
in the agriculture industry today? Just
wait, according to a report from RnR Market Research.
According to the report, the worldwide
market for agricultural drones currently sits
at $494 million, but RnR expects that
amount to balloon to $3.69 billion by 2022.
Drones, sensors and other so-called
digital agriculture tools are in line with
consumer trends of demanding end-to-end
transparency of how their food is produced,
according to lead author of the study, Susan
Eustis.
Transparency is one of the benefits
that drones bring to digital farming, she
says. The benefits of digital farming are
higher productivity and more efficient use
of land, water and fertilizer. Transparency
in farming is being asked for by consumers.
Consumers want to know where their food
came from, how much water and chemicals
were used, and when and how the food was
harvested. They want to know about consistent refrigeration during transport.
Drones are one way to help farmers
gain higher productivity and more efficiently use their land, water and fertilizer
resources, Eustis says. She adds that venture investment in agricultural drones is
very strong. Total ag tech capital investments doubled from 2014 to 2015, to $4.25
billion in total.
Continued on page 3

.
i
a
t
E
t

2 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2016

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

EDITORIAL

Excessive Food Imports Hurting farmers!

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

amaica is facing a major food deficit

with imports now estimated at US$1 billion. The land of wood and water is importing most of the meat, milk, grains and
cereals to feed hungry people.
The latest available census on Jamaican agriculture for the periods 19962007, estimates that the total acreage under
agricultural production declined by more
than 22 percent.
However, for almost two decades, our
informal bird-eye view observations
around the island reveals hundred of acres
of lands remain idle. Housing and other infrastructural development now occupy
some of the islands most arable farmlands.
Until we get the results of another
agriculture census, we are estimating that
Jamaica has lost some 30 percent of its
farmlands over the last two decades. The
islands poor output in coffee, cocoa, coconut, citrus, fruits and vegetables and
livestock is a sign of a nation that is not really interested in feeding its people.
For the past 30 years, the writings
have been on the road: agriculture is on the
slide.
But, the government continues to ignore the signs, as well as those people who
are benefiting significantly from the demise of the sector.
Agriculture continues to be the feeding tree for higglers and other traders of

F
Fo
oc
ca
all
P
Po
oiin
nt
t
by
PATRICK MAITLAND

Publisher -The Agriculturalist

editor@theagriculturalist.com

farm produce. These traders enjoy excessively high mark-ups and profit at the expense of the farmers.
For example, a higgler may buy a jelly
coconut for $10 and sells that same product
for $90 just a few miles from the farm
gate. That is almost a 90 percent markup.
An example of shortsightedness occurred between 1988-2002, as farmers
were beneficiaries of the US Public Law
480, also known as "Food for Peace."
Under the programme, the Jamaican
market was flooded with an over abundance of American foods, including rice,
milk, oil and cheese.
Our farmers could not compete, but
food processors and distributors, including
Lasco Foods, made millions from the
repackaging of US powered milk. After

some 15 years of supplying cheaper foods

to consumers, the PL 480 programme
ceased operations because US farmers
were no longer interested in our market.
The farmers problems continue to be
compounded with the uncontrolled and indiscriminate importation of farm produce.
The Ministry of Agriculture has been issuing licenses to importers of farm produce
without due regards for its abundance locally.
From fruit juice to chicken backs, importers are putting Jamaican farmers out of
business, but no one seems to care as a
number of importers with strong political
connections continue to make money for
the boys.

APRIL 2016 THE AGRICULTURALIST 3

Nevertheless, it is disgraceful that despite the challenges facing Jamaican farmers, a significant number of privileged
people continue to reap big rewards as they
enjoy exorbitant profit from the sale and
importation of farm produce.
As our food supplies continue to dry
up and the economy struggles to achieve
any meaningful growth during the past 30
years, this is a challenge that the newly
elected Jamaica Labour Party-government,
under the leadership of Andrew Holness,
must immediately tackle.
The focus should be on producing
more food and grow the economy.
The strategies and perhaps the human
resource capital in agriculture during the
past decades have put us where we are
today.
We therefore need substantial changes
and a dramatic policy shift to meet our objective of producing enough food to adequately feed our country.
The shift of the agriculture and fisheries portfolio to the newly established
new super Ministry of Industry, Commerce
and Agriculture has been hailed as a positive change. However, it must be backed
up with resources and strong management.
We can only produce more food and
grow the economy if we put agriculture at
the top of our prosperity agenda.

OPINIONS
The Future of Agriculture? Smart Farming

The opinions expressed in this newspaper, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Agriculturalist and its publishers. Please send your comments or suggestions to editor@theagriculturalist.com. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all articles will be published.

Courtesy of Federico Guerrini

Forbes Magazine
he agricultural sector is going to face
enormous challenges in order to feed the
9.6 billion people that the FAO predicts are
going to inhabit the planet by 2050: food
production must increase by 70% by 2050,
and this has to be achieved in spite of the
limited availability of arable lands, the increasing need for fresh water (agriculture
consumes 70 per cent of the worlds fresh
water supply) and other less predictable factors, such as the impact of climate change,
which, according a recent report by the UN
could lead, among other things, to changes
to seasonal events in the life cycle of plant
and animals.

One way to address these issues and increase the quality and quantity of agricultural
production is using sensing technology to
make farms more intelligent and more
connected thorugh the so-called precision
agriculture also known as smart farming.
Its something thats already happening,
as corporations and farm offices collect vast
amounts of information from crop yields,
soil-mapping, fertiliser applications, weather
data, machinery, and animal health. In a subset of smart farming, Precision Livestock
Farming (PLF), sensors are used for monitoring and early detection of reproduction
events and health disorders in animals.
Typical monitored data are the body
temperature, the animal activity, tissues resistivity, pulse and the GPS position. SMS

Continued from page 1

Future improvements to drones, including better materials, sensors, imaging capabilities and more, will continue to fuel
growth in the ag sector, Eustis says. Drones
and other ag technologies are helping farmers make better decisions in near real-time,
she says.
It is a totally different world than walk-

ing out of the farmland, kicking the dirt and

making a decision based on intuition, she
says.
To learn more ways drones are being
used on the farm, review potential legal issues and safety best practices, access a
buyers checklist and more, visit
www.agweb.com/drone-zone/.

Agriculture Drone

alerts can be sent to the breeder based on predefined events, say, if a cow is ready for reproduction.
The European Union has sponsored
several projects on the topic during the Seventh Framework Programme and, now, during Horizon 2020.

Food production must

increase by 70% by 2050,
and this has to be achieved
in spite of the limited
resources..!

The currently running EU-PLF project

for instance, is designed to look at the feasibility of bringing proven and cost-effective
Precision Livestock Farming tools from the
lab to the farm.
Several private companies are also starting to be active in this field, such as Anemon
(Switzerland), eCow (UK), Connected Cow
(Medria Technologies and Deutsche
Telekom.
Smart fishing is at initial stage with
some projects in Europe, South Korea, North
America and Japan.

Precision agriculture is not new. The

agricultural vehicle manufacturers (John
Deere, CNH Global, Class and others) have
been involved in this segment for some time.
Initially, it was about position technologies (GNSS) mainly, but it is becoming more
complex moving towards the idea of a connected harvester, Beeachm Researchs principal analyst, Saverio Romeo tells me.

Publisher & Editor:

Patrick Maitland

Consulting Editors:

Vincent Wright, Jairzenho Bailey

Produced & Published by:

Agri Life Foundation Ltd

AMC Complex,
188 Spanish Town Road,
Kingston 11, Jamaica, W.I.
Tel: (876) 923-7471 923-7428
Fax: (876) 923-7428
agriculturalist@gmail.com
editor@theagriculturalist.com
www.theagriculturalist.com

F
H

m
de
im

4 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2016

obituaries

ROYSTON JOHNSON, 68
Former JAS 2nd vice president

JAS 2nd vice

president died

ong standing member and former

2nd vice president of the Jamaica
Agricultural Society (JAS) Royston
Johnson, 68 died on March 7, 2016 after
battling cancer for many years..
Johnson served over 35 in the agricultural sector and was employed by the
JAS as Branch Organizer for Portland,
St. Ann, Hanover before he was promoted in 1987 to the position of Co-operative Marketing officer. He resigned his
position from the Society in September
1991.
In 2002, Johnson was selected to
served as Board Representative of St Ann
and since 2012 was elected 2nd vice
president of the Society.
JAS president Norman Grant described Johnson as a quiet giant who
soldiered with remarkable purpose and
commitment for the development of our
farmers, the agricultural sector and our
country. Grant also extended condolences to family of the late farm leader.

Condolences
to Albert Beale

he CASE Alumni Association expresses sincere and heartfelt condolences to Ole Farmer Albert Beale (Class
of 1976) on the recent passing of his son
Marlon Beale; who made the transition
to be with his maker on Thursday, March
03, 2016, under tragic circumstances.
The home going service of thanksgiving for the life and work of the late
Marlon Beale will be held at the St.
Joseph Catholic Church, 14 King Street,
Spanish Town, St. Catherine on Saturday,
April 09, 2016, commencing at 11:00
am.
----------------------------------------Please send obituaries to:
editor@theagriculturalist.com

NEWS

Grant dropped
from the Senate

fter serving for 15 years as a Senator

for the Peoples National Party (PNP),
Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) President Norman Grant was dropped from the
list of opposition senators submitted to the
Governor General following the Feb. 25
general elections.
Portia Simpson Miller who, in her capacity as Opposition Leader, did not include
Grant on the list of the eight Opposition
Senators she is authorized to nominate.
Grant told The Agriculturalist that he
was a little disappointed not to be included, as the Senate has been providing a
good forum for him to continue advocating
for the farmers, and noted that he understands the challenges Simpson Miller faced
in nominating only eight members.
I am very happy for the opportunity to
serve over the years in the Senate and look
forward to serving in any capacity or
forum, he declared.
The opposition senators include: Mark
Golding (Leader of Opposition Business),
KD Knight, Floyd Morris, Angela Brown
Burke, Wensworth Skeffery, Sophia Fraser
Binns, Lambert Brown and Noel Sloley.

Norman Grant
JAS President
no longer a member
of the Senator

JAS opposed to Agriculture

under new super ministry
T
he President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Norman Grant,
said members of his organization would
have preferred a minister solely responsible for Agriculture, instead of a merger
with the Industry and Commerce portfolios.

However, he noted that agriculture is

critical to the development of the rural
areas and Jamaica overall. He also expressed his support for the new minister.
He said he would want to meet with
him to get clarification on the ministry's
mandate, now that its merged with Commerce.

Hutchinson encourages expansion

of value-added products

MONTPELIER, ST. JAMES:

inister without portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, J. C. Hutchinson
commended exhibitors for the many valueadded products on display at the 33rd staging of the Montpelier Agricultural and
Industrial Show in St. James on Easter Monday, March 28, noting that Jamaica now
needed to place greater emphasis on the production of value-added products.
Our growth strategy is grow what you
eat, eat what you can and can what you
cant, said Minister Hutchinson as he encouraged the exhibitors to expand their production of value-added products to
commercial quantities targeting the export
market.
Among the other initiatives strategies
outlined by Minister Hutchinson to move the
agricultural sector forward were establish-

ment of school gardens in all primary and

secondary schools, implementation of a
breakfast programme in primary schools,
water harvesting, the re-establishment of
farmers markets where farmers will establish direct links with the end users and the
allocation of more funds for the repair of
farm roads.
Noting that agriculture was the base on
which many of the developed countries,
such as China, have moved forward, Minister Hutchinson stressed the importance of
getting more young people involved in farming.
We will be getting on board school
gardens in every primary and high school.
We will be providing the fencing, inputs and
black tanks for drip irrigation, and will be
encouraging the RADA extension officers to
use these school gardens as demonstration
plots, said Minister Hutchinson.

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

Security Forces
Target Markets
and Abattoirs

By Garfield L. Angus (JIS)

s part of the anti-crime plan, the security forces are targeting abattoirs and
markets, to eliminate the practice of stolen
agricultural items being sold at these establishments.
According to Minister of National Security, Robert Montague, praedial larceny
is high on the agenda of the Ministry, and
over the last two weeks there have been
several raids by the security forces at markets and places where animals are slaughtered.
The Minister explained that the anticrime plan is not just having more police
personnel on the streets, but to have a presence in places where thieves tend to trade
peoples goods, stolen from farms and other
places.
As part of the anti-crime plan, the security forces are targeting abattoirs and
markets, to eliminate the practice of stolen
agricultural items being sold at these establishments.
He pointed out that this is being done
under the intensified anti-crime effort,
called Operation Tidal Wave, as there is a
commitment to protect farmers investments from thieves.
As we seek to increase production,
we must ensure that the farmer gets the full
return from his investment, the Minister
told scores of persons attending the 30th anniversary ceremony of the St. Mary AgriExpo, held on March 28, at the Grays Inn
Sports Complex, Annotto Bay, in the
parish.

Nutraceutical
Farmers Take
Part in Workshop
-----------------------------------------

Nutraceutical farmers in communities from

across western Jamaica, participated in a
business opportunity workshop, held at the
Holiday Inn Resort, in Montego Bay, on
March 23.
The workshop was aimed at empowering participants to grasp the opportunities
that exist within the nutraceutical industry.
It was held by the National Commission on
Science and Technology (NCST), under the
theme: Nutraceutical business opportunity
expanding locally and abroad.
Director General of the NCST, Errol
Morrison, informed JIS News that farmers
and business persons engaged in the nutraceutical industry stand to benefit from
the global industry, which has experienced
significant growth in recent years and is
projected to be worth US$600 billion by
2018.
One of the main mandates from the
Government, has been to focus on the nutraceutical industry as an up and coming
non-traditional (sector), which will offer
new opportunities, job creation and income
generation.

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

NEWS

A bail-out for the

sugar industry

he government has announced a bail-out

of the local sugar industry.
Agriculture Minister Karl Samuda told
the House of Representatives on Tuesday,
that the operators of sugar companies failed
to focus on product diversification and markets after divestment, and now the industry
is in a tailspin.
He said as a result, the government will
be operating some factories temporarily: .
"As it is right now it is imperative that the
Long Pond Sugar factory which is in good
condition, immediately commence operations in order rescue the over 95,000 tonnes
of cane that has so far not been reaped in
Trealwny. The principles of Everglades
have stated t hat they are in no position to
start up the factory due to their financial position and they have allowed the government
to operate the factory for three months-to
take off the cane in Trelawny.
If we fail to reap the cane in Trelawny
this year, we can simply forget about any
sugar industry in the parish."
He stated that another sugar company,
Pan Caribbean, has indicated that it will not
be able to operate the Monymusk Factory in
southern Clarendon next year.
"These challenges include high operating costs due to irrigation fuel by the JPS,
low productivity, widespread theft and low
cane supply. Pan Caribbean has indicated
that it wishes to hand over the cane growing
operations to independent farmers starting
immediately and the factory to the government for operation next year.
In the meanwhile, they will continue to

work with the Government of Jamaica to activate new revenue streams in partnership
with other investors to return the operations
of Monymusk Factory in 2018," Samuda
said.
At the first Post Cabinet Press briefing
for the Andrew Holness led administration,
Information Minister Senator Ruel Reid said
the decision by Pan Caribbean, which owns
the Frome, Monymusk and Bernard Lodge
sugar factories, to cease production will
have implications for hundreds of sugar
workers.
"The government is moving swiftly to
intervene, not to take over the operation but
to get other private sector interests to ensure
that the production of cane takes place," he
said.
He also revealed that Pan Caribbean
has racked up an accumulated loss of US$60
million.
In 2011, the Chinese firm purchased the
sugar factories for US$9 million. The factories now need a capital injection of US$200
million .

Pest control companies charged

with using illegal pesticides in USVI

ST THOMAS, USVI:
he pest control corporation Terminix
and its US Virgin Islands operation were
charged on Tuesday with multiple violations
of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and
Rodenticide Act for illegally applying fumigants containing methyl bromide in multiple residential locations in the US Virgin
Islands, including the condominium resort
complex in St John where a family of four
fell seriously ill last year after the unit below
them was fumigated.
In a plea agreement, Terminix agreed to
pay a total of $10 million in criminal fines,
community service and restitution payments. Except for completing one government contract at the Port of Baltimore,
Terminix has stopped using pesticides containing methyl bromide in the United States
and US territories.
Under the agreement Terminix will pay
$5 million in fines and $1 million in restitution to the EPA for response and clean-up
costs at the St John resort. Terminix will also
pay a fine of $3 million and will fund a $1
million community service project in the
USVI. The plea agreement is subject to ap-

proval by the district court.

When misused, highly toxic pesticides
can have catastrophic consequences, and
thats why those who are certified to apply
them must do so responsibly and lawfully,
said Assistant Attorney General John C.
Cruden for the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The facts in this case show the Terminix
companies knowingly failed to properly
manage their pest control operations in the
US Virgin Islands, allowing pesticides containing methyl bromide to be applied illegally and exposing a family of four to
profoundly debilitating injuries.
While on probation the companies are
required to demonstrate to the EPA changes
to their internal management and systems to
ensure this type of tragedy does not reoccur. This prosecution demonstrates the importance of complying with environmental
laws and regulations, said US Attorney
Ronald W. Sharpe of the District of the Virgin Islands. Tragically, the defendants' failure to do so resulted in catastrophic injuries
to the victims and exposed many others to
similar harm.

APRIL 2016 THE AGRICULTURALIST 5

ABOUT OUR MINISTERS

arl Samuda, 74 attended Ardenne High School in the mid

l950s. He went on to do further studies
at Lisgar College and the University
of Ottawa.
He has held senior management positions with major firms including Alcan
Jamaica Limited, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Industrial Gases Limited and National Woodcraft Limited.
He has distinguished himself in the
field of politics and has been the member of parliament for St. Andrew North
Central since 1989.
He served in various posts in JLP including General Secretary as well as
Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Minister of
State in the Ministry of Health. He has
also served as a member of the Electoral
Advisory Committee.
A practising Roman Catholic, Karl
Samuda is married with three sons.

illiam James Charles (J.C.)

Hutchinson, 73 former Minister of State for Agriculture is a veteran politician and an avid farmer.
He first entered the political arena
in 1979, when he was elected Member
of Parliament for the constituency of
North Eastern St. Elizabeth - a position
that he held for 10 years.
During his tenure as Member of
Parliament for North Eastern St. Elizabeth, Mr. Hutchinson served as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of
Education (1980 -1983).
Between 1989 and 1997 he turned
his focus back to the land and to his
farm, which is his passion. However, he
returned to representational politics in
1997, having been elected Member of
Parliament for North Western St. Elizabeth.
Hutchinson represented this constituency for more than a decade and
was appointed Minister of State for
Agriculture in 2007-2011.
A father of three children, he sees
increased production and productivity
through the infusion of modern technology, as one of the imperatives for a sustainable sector.

KARL SAMUDA
Minister of Industry,
Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries

His motto is There is no substitute

for hard work.

JC HUTCHINSON
Minister without Portfolio
Ministry of Industry,
Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries

He is divorced with three children.

He attended Knox College, Munro College and Cornell University in New
York, USA. A farmer by profession,
Hutchinsons work history includes
part-time teacher and football coach at
St. Elizabeth Technical High.

Look out for

FARMERS ALMANAC 2017

book adverts and copies

923-7471
agriculturalist@gmail.com

6 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2016

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

APRIL 2016 THE AGRICULTURALIST 7

W
l

8 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2016

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

PEOPLE IN PHOTOS

APRIL 2016 THE AGRICULTURALIST 9

Agriculture Minister Karl Samuda (3rd l) and Georgia Sterling, Assistant Sales manager at T Geddes Grant Distributors
Limited examine a package of Bonanza Seeds at St Mary Expo 2016. Also photo permanent secretary Donovan Stanberry,
Norman Grant, JAS president and Deputy Governor-General Steadman Fuller.

Team CB Group - poses with a bag of the Nutramix The BIG Feed! at St Mary Show. Nutramix offers a full range of mash, crumbled or pelleted feeds for poultry, pig, cattle, horse,
goat, sheep and more.

A member of the Jamaica 4H Club staff

poses with three products being developed and marketed by the Club at St
Mary Expo.

These ladies of Team Hi-Pro Feeds take a time-out from promoting

Hi-Pro Rewards to smile for the camera at the Hague Agri Show.

FERTILIZER
TALK:

Team Fersan
Jamaica Limited
(l-r) Anthony Bailey,
technical sales rep;
Denton Alvaranga,
senior agronomist;
and Silbert OMealey
display products
being sold by
Newport-Fersan
at St Mary Expo
Champion farmers with their prize-winning goats
which were sponsored by HiPro Feeds at the recent Hague Agri Show.

10 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2016

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

AgroGrace launches another low toxicity insecticide -Tracer

I

Technical and management staff of AgroGrace-Hardware and Lumber take the field at the officail launch of TRACER 120 SC in Todd Town, St. Elizabeth last
week.Tracer is a very effective and economical insect control product which works rapidly like other synthetic insecticides but has a very low toxicity.

n keeping with its mission of promoting

environmentally friendly as well as effective and economical pest control solutions, AgroGrace recently launched a low
toxicity insecticide, Tracer 120 SC.
According to AgroGrace, general
manager Olive Downer-Walsh, Tracer is
manufactured by world renown agrochemical company, Dow AgroSciences and is
practically non-toxic to predaceous and

beneficial insects. The product received

the top environmental honor from several
countries including US government Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
(EPA news) in 1999.
As required by Jamaican Laws, Tracer
is approved by the Pesticide Control Authority for use in Jamaica.
Tracer is most effective in the control
of sucking insect pests including aphids,

ore problems are on the horizon for

the local sugar industry as the court
has ruled that the injunction filed against J.
Wray and Nephew, operators of Appleton
Estate, will remain in place.
The Court of Appeal Friday morning
ruled against the appeal by J. Wray and
Nephew which was seeking to have the injunction lifted.
Algix obtained the injunction after alleging that it suffered damage to its property,
due to the discharge of effluent from the Appleton sugar factory.
J. Wray and Nephew has denied there
is any link between its activities and the
losses alleged by Algix.
However, Jillian Mullings, attorney for
Algix, says the court considered the evidence in the case, including the time frame
in which J. Wray and Nephew had to conduct upgrading work at its facility, to make
its decision.
In the meantime, Maurice Reynolds,

Managing Director of Algix Jamaica, says

the company is willing to work with Appleton Estate and will be seeking a meeting.
Attorney Jillian Mullings agreed, saying the company is committed to assist in
restoring the section of the Black River that
is affected by the discharge.
Ms. Mullings says the company is also willing to bring in overseas expertise to assist in
the necessary upgrades at Appleton.
"This upgrade is overdue from 2015
and Algix really wants to be a good corporate citizen and assist in any way possible to
protect the environment by upgrading the
facilty," she said.
She said Algix awaits an invitation
from Wray and Nephew to work with the
entity. Costs not awarded
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal did
not rule in favour of awarding costs in the
injunction to Algix Jamaica. Attorney representing Algix Jamaica Jillian Mullings explained the court's decision.

Algix injunction against

J. Wray and Nephew upheld
M

World food prices

edge up in March

ROME:
orld food prices edged up in March,
as sharp rises in sugar and vegetable
oil prices more than offset a plunge in
dairy prices, the United Nations food
agency said on Thursday.
The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) food price index, which
measures monthly changes for a basket of
cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and
sugar, averaged 151.0 points in March

against a downwardly revised 149.5 points

the month before.
The index remains near a seven-year
low after four consecutive annual declines.
FAO gave its first forecast for world cereals output in 2016-17 at 2.521 billion
tonnes, which would be 4 million tonnes
lower than last year's level but still the
third-highest performance on record.
Food prices on international markets
in March were almost 12 percent lower
than a year ago, FAO said.

thrips, leafhoppers, leafminers, mealybugs,

armyworms as well as caterpillars. As a
selective insecticide it is also very effective for use in vegetables, condiments and
orchard crops, she adds.
Over 100 stakeholders including farmers, technical staff from the Ministry of
Agriculture/RADA and AgroGrace participated in field day and official launch of
Tracer 120 SE.

The event was held on the farm of Patrick

and Fay Simpson in Todd Town, St. Elizabeth last Wednesday.
AgroGrace as the leading distributor
of pesticides and other farm inputs remains
committed to the provision of innovative
and cost effective solutions in support of
Jamaicas drive towards food security.

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

Jamaicas Marijuana Legalization:

APRIL 2016 THE AGRICULTURALIST 11

Will The U.S. Halt Jamaicas Plan For Marijuana Legalization?

By RAMIZ PARCHMENT
ith the Jamaican Senate recently passing the Dangerous
Drug Amendment Bill, fears remain
that the federal government of the
United States may halt further plans
of legalizing marijuana should the
Jamaican government expand their
proposed marijuana reform.
The marijuana bill is now expected to be taken to the House of
Representatives in March 2015 for
it to be deliberated on. However, In
the past, the federal branch of the
U.S government have been unsupportive of the legalization of marijuana market within the United
States.
In November 2014, President
Obamas nominated U.S. Attorney
Loretta Lynch to replace current Attorney General of the United States
Eric Holder. The nominee reiterated
that she does not support the legalization of marijuana.
However, with many U.S
states either legalizing or pushing to
legalize the marijuana market, the
Jamaican government is adamant
not to be left behind. Despite that,
they are fully aware that they thread
a steady line between benefiting
from marijuana reform and angering their largest trading partners
(the United States) and current international treaties.

There are three treaties that

regulate the consumption, manufacture, research and trafficking of
narcotics.
The Single Convention on
Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended
by the 1972 Protocol, Convention
on Psychotropic Substances of
1971, and United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs, and Psychotropic
Substances of 1988.
Jamaica is a signator of all
three treaties.
For many years, Jamaica has
been a transhipment hub for narcotics flowing in from South and
Central America into the United
States. Questions still remains
whether the Jamaican government
will be in negotiation with the U.S.
should the island state develop further plans of marijuana reform.
According to the Counselor for
Public Affairs at the US Embassy in
Kingston, Joshua Polacheck, the
United States will not discourage
the Jamaican government from implementing its own laws and regulation on the local marijuana market
as long as it is in accordance of current international treaties.
The U.S position on Jamaicas ganja legalization is as long
as Jamaica respect its international
commitment, the three United Na-

Marijuana plant

tions Conventions on drugs, its domestic drug control regime is a sovereign decision and the U.S.
welcomes debates and discussion
on the drug issue.
Delving further into the issue,
Polacheck states that the United
States government is not bothered
by decriminalization of small quantities of marijuana consumed but
rather on the the transshipment and
corruption brought on from trafficking.
Our focus with the Jamaican
security forces is not on small scale
consumption here in Jamaica but on
the transnational violent criminals
who spread violence and corruption
across the hemisphere, those are the

people we are worried about.

However, these comments contradict earlier statements made by a
senior member of the International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs (INL). The assistant secretary of (INL), William R Brownfield, stated that Jamaica is
threading a dangerous line with potential legalization of the marijuana
market.
I would not necessarily walk
down the same road that some in
the Government and Parliament of
Jamaica are choosing to walk.
He added that, I can assure
you that, from the US side, we will
continue to pursue maximum efforts to prevent any import in the

Rural Agricultural Development Authority

Hope Gardens, Kingston 6, Jamaica, WI.
Tel: 876-977-1158-64 Fax: 876-970-4077
www.rada.gov.jm

United States and we will request

and expect complete co-operation
from law enforcement authorities of
the Government of Jamaica in eliminating this sort of trafficking.
However, he maintained that
the marijuana market within Jamaica is a sovereignty issue and
that as long as Jamaica continues to
remain in accordance to the three
international narcotics treaties then
there will be no problem.
That said, my position was
quite clearly stated in the beginning; we must have tolerance and
accept that different countries will
address their drug issues in different ways so long as they are committed to the fundamental purposes
of the three international conventions and that is to reduce the damage, to reduce the harm and
eventually to reduce the abuse of
these products, including cannabis,
or marijuana, or ganja to the citizens of the world
Unlike Uruguay and Amsterdam, Jamaicas push to legalize
marijuana will have a direct effect
on domestic policies and international law and with an upcoming
summit in 2016 Jamaicas Legalization of marijuana will continue
to be a topic that will foster discussion not just for Jamaica but also for
the United States.

RESEARCHERS UPDATE

Enhancing agricultural productivity

and climate change adaptation

12 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2016

the application of biochar to soils is viewed

as a buffer against rising atmospheric CO2
concentrations and as a sustainable approach to mitigate against global environment change.

BY DR. ADRIAN SPENCE

Research Scientist

1. Plant bacterization: an option for climate-smart agriculture co-benefiting food

security and climate mitigation and adaptation
Motivation-Despite significant scientific and technological advancements
across the agricultural sector, close to 1 billion inhabitants of tropical and sub-tropical countries face food insecurity.
Constrained by other environmental and
non-ecological factors, this situation is expected to worsen due to anthropogenic climate change coupled with unprecedented
population growth, which is likely to swell
from seven to nine billions by 2050.
When considered together, it therefore
means agriculture is being pushed to balance increased demands for food while
maintaining ecosystem structure and function amid numerous Anthropocene forcings (e.g. drought, increased incidence of
pestsincluding insects, plant pathogens
and weedsland degradation, desertification and wild fires).
Drought is perhaps the most economically significant global environmental
change component with widespread implications for food and sustainability of water
resources. Each year, droughts result in significant socioeconomic losses and major
ecological damage worldwide.
Currently, agriculture accounts for
approximately 70% of the worlds fresh
water usage, but with an increase in the frequency and intensity of drought conditions
it is critical that the sector finds ways to
minimize encroachment on sensitive
ecosystems by lowering water usage whilst
simultaneously improving yields to ensure
global food security.
Previously, several approaches have
been employed to address global food security. However, many of these endeavours
have been overwhelmed, as they were not
designed with climate change mitigation
and adaptation in mind.
Given these confounding factors, the
need for sustainable agriculture at multiple
scales has never been more pressing. In response to these global challenges, expanded use of plant growth-promoting
rhizobacteria (PGPR) in agro systems is
being proposed as a natural modulator of
climate-smart agriculture that will co-benefit long-term food security and climate
change mitigation and adaptation.
Typically, by establishing a symbiotic
relationship with plant roots and seeds
(plant-microbial interactions), PGPR stimulate (microbial-altered genetic expression) plant growth, seedling establishment,
confer pest and disease resistance, as well
as reduce biotic or abiotic plant stress
through a number of direct and indirect
mode of actions, and critically, without
conferring pathogenicity.
Moreover, the application of PGPR in
agro systems is expected to reduce the bur-

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

Greenhouse gas
contributing to
global warming

3. Monitoring of soil-atmospheric
CO2 flux and assessing possible
shifts in plant nutrition due to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Dr. Adrian Spence is Research Scientist and head, Spectroscopy Research Lab; Team leader, (bio)
geochemistry and global change at the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Science, University of the West Indies, Mona. He may be contacted at Adrian.spence02@uwimona.edu.jm

den of chemicals in the environment, as

well as the incidence of pest resistance to
conventional chemical treatments, while
offering a more economical management
option to farmers.

Accumulation of high
levels of trace metals in
agricultural soils

2. Constraining the bioavailability of

trace metals in soils developed on White
Limestone Supergroups in Jamaica and
assessing the impact of sustainable soil
amendments on metal mobility and transfer to crop plants.
Motivation-The accumulation of high
levels of trace metals in agricultural soils
is an issue of paramount importance due
to he potential adverse influence on soil
health, crop quality and the environment.
However, when assessing the risks posed
by metal-contaminated soils, determination
of the bioavailable fractiondifferent
chemical forms under different physicochemical conditionsis more important
than the total metal content.
Where the bioavailability fraction of
a metal is determined to exceed acceptable
levels, we monitor the possible effects of
sustainable soil amendments (e.g. biochar)

on the mobility and transfer rate of the

metal to plants.
Biochar is a carbon-rich residue generated from the burning of biomass in an
oxygen-free environment and has been
shown to improve the biogeochemical
properties of soils by increasing water
holding capacity, boosting nutrient retention, immobilizing toxic metal species and
improving soil structure.
This, in turn, can boost productivity
and restore degraded and contaminated
soils. Additionally, due to its stable nature,

Motivation - Carbon dioxide is the important greenhouse gas contributing to

global warming. Understanding how
sources and sinks for CO2 vary in both
time and space can be important in evaluating the potential impacts of different land
covers and management practices on the
environment and human health.
The emission of CO2 from soils to the
atmosphere (soil CO2 flux) represents a
significant component of the total atmospheric carbon balance, and it is a very important variable in any study of global
climate change. As the largest component
of ecosystem respiration, soil CO2 flux is
therefore crucial for understanding soil carbon sequestration potential and soil carbon
dynamics.
Moreover, the movement of gases
across the soil-atmosphere interface also
provides an important link to belowground processes and can be used as a
strong indicator of the biological health
and vigor of a soil and is useful tool to
evaluate the efficacy of bioremediation efforts and the impact of changing agricultural practices. One approach being used to
characterize sources and sinks for CO2 is
to integrate spatial data with concurrent observations of CO2 concentrations and/or
fluxes across the local landscape.

We publish your
research news
and opinions
-----------------------------

editor@theagriculturalist.com

HEALTH & NUTRITION

Pineapple found to be five times
NutriCare
more effective than cough syrup

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

APRIL 2016 THE AGRICULTURALIST 13

by: Raw Michelle (NaturalNews)

ather than waiting a case of the sniffles
out or reaching for over-the-counter
cough syrup, consider fighting a cold with
something that's likely already in the
kitchen: pineapple.
According to studies, the tropical fruit,
along with other ingredients, has been
shown to be effective in proving relief to
those with tuberculosis as well as those who
have coughing issues such as hacking.
In one case, it was shown that a mixture of raw pineapple juice, raw honey,
cayenne pepper and salt helped dissolve the
mucus in the lungs of tuberculosis patients.
In another instance, researchers found
that the raw extracts from pineapple had the
ability to decrease mucus five times faster
than over-the-counter cough syrup and help
patients recover 4.8 times faster.
Overall, the fruit was found to offer relief across
the board when it came to coughing symptoms, hacking in particular.

Why pineapple is an
effective natural cough syrup
Pineapple is effective in helping to keep
coughs at bay primarily for two reasons.
The fruit contains bromelain, which is an
enzyme responsible for fighting inflammation and aiding in digestion. Coupled with
the fact that it also has a great deal of the

By

Gloria Bent, MS, RD, CDN - Nutritionist

Hunger vs Craving

Questions &Comments: gloria.bent@gmail.com

Hunger

mineral manganese, which aids in the formation of connective tissue and improving
nerve function, and it's easy to see how it
helps fight coughs and diminish mucus
build-up in lungs.
According to the George Mateljan
Foundation website, The World's Healthiest
Foods, pineapple is an excellent source of
vitamin C which fights free radicals and, in
turn, allows airways to function more effectively. "In addition, vitamin C is vital for
the proper function of the immune system,
making it a nutrient to turn to for the prevention of recurrent ear infections, colds,
and flu," the site states.
Pineapple has many other health benefits in addition to acting as a natural cough
syrup. It has been shown to provide arthritis relief, help combat cancers of the breast,
throat and mouth, and manage blood pressure.

Usually occurs when you haven't eaten

for a few hours or more
Results in a rumbling stomach, headache
or feeling of weakness
Doesn't pass with time
Isn't just for one specific food
Can be satisfied by a healthy snack or
meal

Craving

Are usually for comfort foods, such as

chocolate, sweets and fatty foods
Are often caused by negative feelings
Lead to eating that makes you feel good at
first, but then guilty
May be stronger when you're dieting, especially if you're giving up your favorite
foods
Can occur even after you've recently
eaten
Pass with time

How to deal with craving

Distract yourself: Try calling a friend, listening to music, taking a walk or bike ride,
reading, or writing.
If a negative feeling is causing your craving, use Stress reduction techniques might
include taking a long hot bath, walking, relaxation exercises, or yoga
Drink a glass of water before giving in to
a craving. Sometimes when you think
you're hungry, you're really just thirsty
Make lower calorie choices whenever
possible

April is National
Farmers Month

FRESHLY REAPED PINEAPPLES:

Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Karl Samuda (4th r) examines samples of the freshly reaped
MD2 variety of pineapples along with (l-r) Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary in the Ministry; Damian Graham, general manager Fresh Division , JP Tropical Foods Ltd, and Charles Johnston chairman of Jamaica Producers Group during a farm tour at Jamaica Producers on Easter Monday, March 28. The Minister, along with representatives from the
Ministry and local and international partners visited the farms to take a first- hand look at new sweet potato and pineapple varieties being cultivated under a Ministry programme. He later attended the Annual St Mary Agricultural Show held at
Grays Inn, Agualta Vale in the parish.

FARM TIP

Keep animals in good health. An animal in

pain and discomfort can react aggressively.

he Jamaica Agricultural Society

(JAS) will celebrate National Farmers Month during the month of April
under the theme Grow what we eat...eat
what we grow.
Farmers month marks a period in
the farmers calendar when among other
activities, we honour and recognize the
invaluable contribution of our farmers.
The main features of this celebration to be attended by the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and
Fisheries will include:
National Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service at the Eastwood Park New
Testament Church of God, 51 Eastwood
Park Road, Kingston 10 on Sunday April
3, 2016 commencing at 10:30 a.m.
The launch on Wednesday April 6,
2016 at the JAS Head Office, 67 Church
Street, Kingston, commencing at 9:00
a.m.
JAS National Food Production
Summit on Thursday April 21, 2016 at
8:30 am 4:30 pm at the Jamaica Conference Centre 14 - 20 Port Royal Street.
There will also be a series of activities within the parishes with the main
focus of highlighting the importance of
farmers to national development.
For more information, please contact:
Jamila Francis PRO-JAS/ Patricia
Jackson Executive Secretary-JAS
Tel: 922-0610-2 or 948-2901

14 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2016

EDUCATION

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

CASE STUDENTS GET SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDS:

Executive members of the Old Farmers Association of North America (OFANA) Wendell Codner, president; Terrence Johnson, assistant treasurer; Norma Jarrett, vicepresident of North East Region; and Balford Banton, vice-president of Georgia Region pose with scholarship awardees including Omelia Barrett; Kadejak Bennett;
Anthony Brown; Moya Campbell; Calbert Green; Heron Miller; Hashani Mitchell and Sheleen Panton. The students who attend College of Agriculture, Science and
Education (CASE) were presented with scholarship grant valued at US$8,000 during the annual staging of the Colleges Founders Day held on January 2016 at the
Port Antonio-based college. Over the past ten years scholarship with an cumulative value of US$28,500 or J$3.4M were awarded to twenty five students.

Praedial Larceny Prevention

Unit Stages Essay Competition

enter. It is also open to members of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs.

Students at the primary level are required to write an essay of no more than
500 words on the topic: How does Praedial Larceny affect the farmers in your
community? while secondary level students are required to submit a 1,500-word
essay in response to the question: What
are the socio-economic impacts of praedial larceny on the Jamaican agricultural
sector?
The application forms can be downloaded from the Ministrys website at
www.moa.gov.jm.
Essays must be submitted via email at
plpu@moa.gov.jm or mailed to: TrudyAnn Edwards, Praedial Larceny Prevention
Coordinator, Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hope
Gardens, Kingston.

4-H Clubs to stage Achievement Expo

Livestock students of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE)

pose with their prize-winning dairy heifer at St Mary Agri Expo held on March 28.

he Praedial Larceny Prevention Unit

(PLPU) in the Ministry of Industry,
Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, is
inviting students to participate in its inaugural essay competition.
Praedial Larceny Prevention Coordinator, Trudy-Ann Edwards, said the competition forms part of the PLPUs public
education campaign to sensitise Jamaicans
to the devastating impact of praedial larceny on the agricultural sector and the
livelihood of farmers.
Deadline for submission is Friday,
April 29. For further information persons
may visit the Ministrys website or call
927-1731, ext. 2228.
The PLPU, is inviting students to participate in its inaugural essay competition.
Primary school students, ages nine to 12
years, and secondary level students, between 13 and 18 years old, are invited to

n its continuous bid to promote youth entrepreneurship and its mitigating effect on
high rates of youth unemployment, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs will stage its flagship National Achievement Expo at the Denbigh
Showground, Clarendon on Friday, April 29.
Being held under the theme: Youth Entrepreneurship; Stimulating Economic
Growth and Development, the event, in addition to its regular features of the Agri Technology Park, the Agri Technology
Competition, Healthy Lifestyle Village, 4-H
Cook Off, Cubbies Village and Educational,
General and Project Work displays will also
showcase the new and exciting Young Farmers Business Clinic.
This new feature will provide the outlet
for all youth with ideas at the concept stage or

products or business in their early stages to

come and get the necessary business advice to
move forward, said 4-H Clubs Executive Director, Dr. Ronald Blake.
The 4-H Clubs he added have been conducting programmes such as the Youth Economic Empowerment Programme, (YEEP)
which provides training and inputs to young
farmers in areas including apiculture and crop
production as well as in tandem with the National Commission on Science and Technology, (NCST) and the Scientific Research
Council, (SRC) the Young Nutraceutical
Farmers Training Programme which has so
far produced two batches of graduates. Partnerships with the HEART Trust NTA and the
NYS have also yielded positive results in entrepreneurial training.

A 4H Clubbite sews with her hands

He added that the goal of realising

100,000 members in April, a fitting birthday
gift for the organisation which celebrates its
76th Anniversary on April 1 was within reach
and would be duly celebrated at the event.
Currently, the organisation boasts 94,030
members islandwide.
The Jamaica 4-H Clubs just recently concluded its 75th Anniversary celebrations on
March 31.
The National Achievement Expo which
has seen as many as 6000 patrons will also
have an Official Ceremony and Prize Giving
Exercise as well as patrons coming in to have
health checks and accessing the services of
the RGD and PICA among other highlights.
Admission to the event is $200 for adults
and $100 for children.

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

APRIL 2016 THE AGRICULTURALIST 15

16 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2016

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM