the agriculturalist newspaper -april 2015

VOL. 26 NO. 1 APRIL 2015 FREE COPY WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

FletcherDead at 90Scores of farmers, political communityleaders, as well as family membersand friends, attended a thanksgiving serv-ice on Saturday (March 14) at the Sax-thorpe Methodist Church in St Andrew forthe life of Courtney Fletcher, former sen-ator and president of the Jamaica Agricul-tural Society.

Fletcher, who died Feb. 28, served aspresident of the Jamaica Agricultural So-ciety (JAS) from 1974-93 and was a life-long member of the People's NationalParty. He is credited for his role as na-tional organizer for the 1972 general elec-tions, which the party won by a landslide.Fletcher had a passion for agriculture froman early age. He became a Jamaica 4-HClubs organizer shortly after graduatingfrom Cornwall College in Montego Bay,St James.

During his almost two decades asJAS president, Fletcher was very vocal ashe lobbied to enhance the welfare of farm-ers. He was very vocal about the cripplingeffect of praedial larceny on agriculture,poor marketing, high interest rates and thepoor condition of farm roads.

Continued on page 4

Jamaicas firstSugarcane Loader

Page 7

Ready to Fight Farm Theft

Praedial Larceny Fighters:Head of the recently appointed Praedial Larceny Prevention Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Deputy Su-perintendent of police Kevin Francis (3rd l) poses with his deputy Sergeant Damian Harry (1st l) and the Unit coordinator Judy-ann Edwards, at a media briefing held on March 12 at Ministry of Agriculture offices, Hope Gardens, Kingston 6

By Athaliah Reynolds-Baker (JIS)

The Government has injected $7 millioninto the Praedial Larceny PreventionUnit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fish-eries as it moves to intensify efforts to ad-dress agricultural theft.

Portfolio Minister, Derrick Kellier, saidthe money has been used to employ addi-tional staff to bolster the work of the unit,which includes the services of two membersof the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

The policemen, Deputy SuperintendentKevin Francis and Sergeant Damian Harry,will head the Ministrys praedial larceny pre-vention operational activities and will mo-

bilise members of the JCF across the islandto curb praedial larceny.

Having the JCF leading the anti-prae-dial larceny charge, we now expect an inten-sification of operations on the ground,Kellier said, while emphasising that praediallarceny is a crime, and as such, should bedealt with by the police.

He was addressing journalists at a mediaconference, at his Hope Gardens offices in St.Andrew on March 12.

Additional staff at the unit will include aPraedial Larceny Coordinator, to provide ad-ministrative and policy support; and an ad-ministrative assistant.

To further boost the work of the unit,LASCO Distributors Ltd. has also donated$4 million for the purchase of a Toyota Hiluxmotor vehicle.

It is estimated that some $5 billion is lostannually due to praedial larceny and farmtheft, amounting to about $50 billion over thelast decade.

Against the background of annual out-put from the sector, valued at in excess of$100 billion, it is our projection that this fig-ure could be significantly increased if the op-portunity costs lost by deferred investmentcaused by praedial larceny were reduced,Kellier said.

Courtney L FletcherJuly 20, 1924 February 28, 2015

2 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2015 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM APRIL 2015 THE AGRICULTURALIST 3

EDITORIAL PAGE

It was good news for farmers as the Minis-ter of Agriculture announced and launchedmore plans to prevent or stop praedial lar-ceny, also know as farm thief. This is a crim-inal offense punishable with meager finesand a short prison term.

With an estimated annual loss of some$5 billion, or nearly a quarter of agriculturesGDP and perhaps an equal number of peoplerefusing to invest in agriculture, the farmcriminals have been the biggest winners.

As these heartless people continue toreap what they never sowed, several thou-sand farmers and family members have sus-tained serious injuries or have been murderedas they seek to protect their source of income.

Since 1962, the Jamaican governmenthas conducted several studies, held consulta-tions with stakeholders and has put forwardseveral solutions to stop the farm criminals.But overall, it has been a miserable failure.

The few pockets, or years of success, arenothing to write about as the criminal ele-ments continue to rob the profit out of farm-ing.

The criminals know that governmentand farm leaders are more about nuff talkand the anti-praedial larceny strategies are atbest weak, ineffective and inconsistent. Takefor example a review of government solu-tions to fight praedial larceny over the past40 years.

That evaluation revealed that the de-ployment of additional police is always thesingle most common strategy. But after thelobbying and the loud noise are over and the

police discreetly return to their original du-ties, the criminals resurface and continue toplague the farmers.

However, we cannot expect the govern-ment to solve praedial larceny without activeand committed participation of the farmersand their leaders.

We must admit that the thieves areamong some of the farmers, neighbours, fam-ily members, as well as police and other se-curity employees.

Nevertheless, we are optimistic that thegovernment will get it right this time. PoliceCommissioner Carl Williams said the JCFwould utilize modern technology, such asDNA testing, to fight praedial larceny. Weare also going to be dedicating our investiga-tive assets, that is, the detectives from theCriminal Investigation Branch, who hitherto,had not been focusing on this problem,Williams declared.

In addition, we suggest that the policeintroduce a Name and Shame strategy. Thiswill inform the public and communities im-pacted about all the praedial thieves arrested,charged and convicted.

A large number of these unscrupulouscitizens in the community are repeat offend-ers, but neighbours are unaware of the be-haviour as their stories seldom reach themedia.

The Name and Shame of the farmthieves could be a major part of the solutionsto stop praedial larceny.

byPATRICK MAITLAND Publisher -The Agriculturalist [email protected]

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 com-ments or suggestions to [email protected]. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all articles will be published.

Focal Point

Name and Shame the farm thieves

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) [email protected]

[email protected]

OPINIONS

The popularity of dark chocolate through-out the world has surpassed just being aflavour of the month. The rapid growth in de-mand for fine flavour cocoa, primarily usedin the sought- after dark chocolate, over thepast five years, is set to continue bringing lu-crative benefits to the Caribbeans fine cocoaindustry.

How the region can fully exploit this en-hanced business growth through market pen-etration will be explored at the 3rdCARIFORUM-EU Business Forum, beinghosted by the Caribbean Export Development

Agency, on April 15 16, in Montego Bay,Jamaica.

The world cocoa market distinguishesbetween two broad categories of cocoabeans: ordinary or bulk beans (around 85%of all cocoa worldwide) and fine flavourbeans, which are the defining component ofhigh quality chocolate. Together, Latin Amer-ica and the Caribbean produce 80% of theworlds fine flavour cocoa and, with six ofthe recognised 17 countries in the world thatproduce and export the exotic product comefrom the Caribbean, the collection of small

islands have earned their place to featureprominently on the world stage.

As the drive for increased consumptionis coming from the more mature markets ofWestern Europe, North America and Japan,producers need to be aware of the specific re-quirements and expectations of these buyersand importers to make the most of market op-portunities.

"We need to look at how to recogniseand encourage the proper growing and pro-cessing of fine flavour beans and how tobuild links between small farms and artisan

chocolate makers. Both sides can benefitfrom the sourcing of unusual and interestingflavours from very local sources and the pro-duction of great chocolate," says founder ofthe British company Duffy's Chocolate DuffySheardown, who will be a speaker at the up-coming CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum.

The complex flavours of cocoa beansgrown in the region have also become in-creasingly popular, as major chocolate man-ufacturers in Europe and other markets arenow offering premium chocolate products intheir range.

Caribbean cocoa inspires the worlds chocolatiers

In photo (l-r) The Agriculturalists edi-tor Patrick Maitland raps managing di-rector of Red Stripe, Cedric Stewartand chairman of Red Stripe, RichardByles at a recent lease signing cere-mony for 250 acres of lands at Cheese-field, St. Catherine for the cultivation ofcassava, at the companys SpanishTown Road offices.


NEWS

J

Lenworth Fulton

Food Securityis PriorityBy Glenis A. Rose, JIS

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of theRural Agricultural Development Au-thority (RADA), Lenworth Fulton, has em-phasised that food security and safety hasbecome a national priority.

The CEO said that priority is very sig-nificant, as economic and environmentalforces have combined to threaten long-termfood supply and prices. He said that thework being carried out by the Bureau ofStandards Jamaica to facilitate a risk-basedpreventative approach rather than a reactiveapproach to food safety problems, is in linewith guidelines stipulated by the FoodSafety and Modernization Act (FSMA).

Addressing participants at the 7thCaribbean Food Safety and Security Con-ference at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall Resort,in Montego Bay, on March 18, the CEOsaid that priority is very significant, as eco-nomic and environmental forces have com-bined to threaten long-term food supply andprices.

As the extension arm of the Ministryof Agriculture and Fisheries, RADA iscommitted to promoting the developmentof agriculture in Jamaica. As part of thismandate, food safety and security is a crit-ical part in our extension delivery to farm-ers of Jamaica, Mr. Fulton said.

This conference is particularly timelyin light of these efforts to reduce the coun-trys food import bill, by growing more ofwhat we consume with programmes suchas the Irish Potato Programme and the workbeing done with the Agro Parks, he noted.

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Fletcher Dead at 90Continued from page 1

He was instrumental in forming ofseveral farmers cooperatives, including theChristiana Potato Co-operative Association,the North and South Manchester CoffeeCo-operatives, the Maggotty Coffee Co-op-erative and the Frankfield Coffee andCocoa Co-operative. During his presidencyof the JAS, he took action to have the orga-nizations constitution amended to providefor agricultural organizations to becomemembers organizations of the JAS.

At the JAS Board of Managementmeeting on March 3, president NormanGrant lead a minute of silence and paid trib-ute to their longest serving native president.Former Minister of State for Agricultureand the opposition spokesman on agricul-ture, JC Hutchinson, said Fletcher would beremembered for his strong lobbying anddedication to the farmers.

He is survived by three daughters andthree sons.

PRODUCT TALK:Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) CEO Christopher Emanuel (l) greets Hi-Pro Farm Supplies staff Vanessa Benjamin,pharmacist (c) and Denise Johnson, marketing officer at a recent agricultural summit organized by the JAS and held at theJamaica Conference Center, Kingston.

DUANVALE, Trelawny (Jamaica Observer)

Chairman of the All-Island Jamaica CaneFarmers Association Allan Rickards(AIJCFA) says a number of the projects fi-nanced by European Union (EU) moneyunder the Sugar Transformation Unit (STU)in the Ministry of Agriculture, are politicallyselected for the benefit of the cane farmingcommunities.

Frankly we think some of the choicesare political. I might as well say it, Rickardssaid.

He was speaking at the Duanvale CaneFarmers Groups annual general meeting heldat the Duanvale All Age School Tuesdayevening.

During the meeting vice-chairman of theDuanvale Cane Farmers Group, Samuel SirT Thomas raised the issue with the guestspeaker, Head of Delegation of the EuropeanUnion to Jamaica, Ambassador PaolaAmadei, that members of his group want to

play an integral role in the identification ofthe projects.

The funds are used to build libraries,stadiums and all these things. What we areasking, could some of the funds be directed

to the association to help us fix our roads andto put into other areas so that we can improveour product (sugar cane), Thomas ques-tioned.

The roads are bad and we need assis-tance. What we are doing is the chairman isgoing from Ministry to Ministry and beg andwhat he gets is not enough.

But, Amadei expressed that it is the Gov-ernment of Jamaica that chooses the projectsunder the programme, without the interfer-ence of the EU.

We work together with the Governmentof Jamaica. In the case of the Sugar Pro-gramme, the funds are directed to the Gov-ernment of Jamaica. What we do, we agreewith the Government on objectives we dontidentify one by one the investments. Its dif-ferent in the case of the sugar quarters be-cause it was specific but for the other projectsthe one you mention with the library, with thecommunity centre, Amadei explained.

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-The Jamaica 4-H Clubs Photo: JAMAICA 4-H CLUBS GETS PATRON FOR 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONSJamaicas first lady and patron of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs 75th anniversary cele-brations Lady Allen accepts a schedule of the Clubs 75th Anniversary from 4-HClubs chairman, Norman Grant (c) during a recent courtesy call at Kings House,St. Andrew. Sharing in the moment is Ronald Blake executive director, Jamaica 4-H Club which will be observing their 75th anniversary activities from April 1, 2015to March 31, 2016.

Jamaica Producersreports decline incoffee productionJamaica Producers Group says it hasfaced challenging conditions in re-lation to the Mavis Bank Coffee Fac-tory, which is a joint venture companywith Pan Jamaica Investment Trust.

In its just released 2014 auditedresults, Jamaica Producers said thesupply of coffee cherries for process-ing of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffeeis at its lowest in decades. As a resultprices for coffee cherries are excep-tionally high.

Supply conditions for coffee cher-ries were adversely affected by the leafrust disease and unfavourable weatherconditions, the company said.

Political bias in EU Sugar projects selection

Allan Rickards Chairman, All-Island Jamaica Cane Farmers Association


NEWSCoffee

Price SoarsBy patrick Maitland

Editor-The Agriculturalist

The scarcity of Jamaica Blue MountainCoffee is sending shockwaves through-out the international markets especiallyJapan, which has been in a panic for failingto supply their clients.

Prices at farmgate for cherry coffee hasmoved from a minimum of J$3,500 lastyear to a current minimum of J$9,000 perbox. There are incidents of cherry coffeeselling at prices well above $10,000 perbox, which is believed to be highly unsus-tainable.

Coffee analysts told The Agricultural-ist that from as far back as 2010, severalsmall farmers had withdrawn from thegrowing of coffee due to unfavourableprices at farmgate for their cherry coffeeand the high cost of fertilizer.

Incidentally a farmer with 3-5 acresof coffee had achieved this by starting outwith a 1/2 acre plot and gradually increaseover a number of years to a current holdingof 3-5 acres. After abandoning their farmsand it is overtaken by weeds and return toruinate, it becomes impossible for them re-turn and resuscitates the entire plot all atonce without proper funding. Some wereable to restart while others just simply giveup the idea of coffee production, a coffeeanalyst explains.

The 2013/2014 coffee crop was verysmall as a result of the effects of 2012 Hur-ricane Sandy which battered the plantationand brought widespread Coffee Leaf Rustin the aftermath.

For the 2014/2015 crop many of the re-maining coffee farmers had high hopes ofrecovery, but was hit by an the worstdrought in modern history with greatest ef-fect in Western St. Andrew and Portlandsections of the Blue Mountains. As a result,some farmers reap as much 10 boxes butcould only sell two, the remainder beinglight because of poor development of thebean.

Coffee analysts are suggesting that theindustry is changing with most coffee deal-ers with large processing facilities nowmoving to enter or increase production toguarantee their minimum throughput. Nolonger can small farmers be relied on main-tain steady supplies of high quality cherrycoffee, a coffee exporter confirmed.

Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, Derrick Kellier (seated centre) and Managing Director of Red Stripe,Cedric Stewart (seated right), sign a lease agreement for 250 acres of lands at Cheesefield, St. Catherine for the cultiva-tion of cassava. The signing ceremony was held on March 10, at the companys Spanish Town Road offices. Others (stand-ing from right) are: Chief Executive Officer of the Agro Investment Corporation (AIC), Everton Spencer; Deputy Chairmanof the AIC, Jonathan Brown; Donovan Stanberry, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry; Luther Buchanan, State Minister inthe Ministry and Cavell Francis-Rhiney, LRM Business Development Lead, Red Stripe. Richard Byles, Chairman of RedStripe seated left.

By Garfield L. Angus March 11, 2015

Minister of Agriculture, Labour andSocial Security, Derrick Kellier, islauding the move by Red Stripe to use cas-sava as a replacement for imported barleyin the production of beer, noting that thishas opened up opportunities for farmers.

He said the initiative by Red Stripe isproviding a sure market for the tuber.

Minister Kellier was speaking onMarch 10, at the signing of a lease agree-ment with Red Stripe, which will providethe company with access to 250 acres oflands in Cheesefield, St. Catherine for thecultivation of cassava. The signing washeld at companys Spanish Town Road of-fices.

The lease agreement represents an-other significant step in the nations driveto expand the production and use of locallyproduced foods. This initiative by RedStripe, has now provided a market-driven

demand for production, and has opened awindow of opportunity for our hard work-ing cassava farmers, Minister Kellier said.

Last year, the Ministry and Red Stripesigned a lease agreement for 36.2 acres ofland at Bernard Lodge, St. Catherine to fa-cilitate the pilot of the companys multi-million dollar Project Grow cassavainitiative.

The pilot is targeting some 500 acresof land for cultivation over an 18-monthperiod with some US$1 million earmarked.

Implementation of the project formspart of moves by Red Stripe to replace 20per cent of imported inputs, primarily bar-ley, used in the brewing of its globallyrenowned flagship product, Red StripeBeer, by 2016.

As part of the project, Red Stripe plansto train and employ 2,400 persons in cas-sava production over the next five years.

Minister Kellier said the Ministry issupporting the cassava project throughservices provided by the Rural AgriculturalDevelopment Authority (RADA), in col-laboration with the Caribbean AgriculturalResearch and Development Institute(CARDI).

He is urging farmers to increase pro-duction to supply cassava to Red Stripe.For us to attain the kind of success weneed, we need to at least double our pro-ductivity levels. With good agronomicpractices and irrigation, productivity canbe achieved, he said.

Chairman of Red Stripe, RichardByles, said the cassava initiative is amodel project. It meets the economic de-mands of the country. It substitutes for animported product, it employs, especiallyyoung people trained by Red Stripe, and itis a partnership that has been forged, hesaid.

Kellier Hails Red Stripes Cassava Project

Caribbean Chemicals Buys Agriculture Chemical Plant AG Chem Plant Limited, anewly formed Jamaican com-pany and a subsidiary of CaribbeanChemicals and Agencies Limited(CCA), has recently signed anagreement to acquire the Agricul-ture Chemical Plant division (AgChem) of J. Wray & Nephew, a sub-sidiary of Gruppo Campari of Italy.

CCA is the largest agriculturalinput supplier in the English-speak-ing Caribbean and was founded in1967 by the late Joe Pires Snr.

CCA is based in Trinidad withoffices in Guyana and Suriname

and has been a pioneer in agricul-ture for over 47 years to all theCaribbean islands. The companyrepresents some of the largestbrands in the agricultural industry,like BASF, Omex and Miller.

AG Chem Plant Limited wasformed to acquire the assets of theagricultural chemicals division of J.Wray & Nephew, which include aformulating plant, land, buildings,all trade names and chemical regis-trations and all registrations in otherCaribbean islands where 50 per centof sales have been, for a number ofyears.

The directors of AG Chem Plant

Limited are Joe Pires Jr (chairman)and Jamaicans Simon duQuesnay,Paul Lalor, Martine Fontaine, OllieMcIntosh, Raymond Miles Jr andBruce Levy.

Chairman of CCA Mike Toneystated that this acquisition solidifiesCCAs position as the largest sup-plier to the Caribbean of inputs intofarming.

Our investment in this deal in-cludes the purchase price of US$8.2 million, but when you considertaxes and duties, it is just over US$9million that we would pay on com-pletion of this purchase, he said.

Managing director of CCA JoePires Jr explained that the Jamaicanoperation will expand its exports inthe region by 50 per cent in the nexttwo to three years and become a netforeign exchange earner in the sametime period, said Pires.

AG Chem is operated by Ja-maicans and, with general managerGraham Dunkley continuing to leadthe company, we expect to be agood corporate citizen in Jamaicaand the region and continue to in-troduce new technology to reduceour farmers costs. Graham Dunkley continues

to serve as general manager


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Former head of theSugar TransformationUnit (STU) in the Min-istry of AgricultureGeorge Callaghan hasbeen appointed chief ex-ecutive officer (CEO) ofthe Sugar Industry Au-thority (SIA) since Janu-ary 5, 2015.

He replaced Ambas-sador Derrick Heaven,who was recently ap-pointed chairman of theboard of director of the Ja-maica Cane Product Sales.Ambassador Heaven alsochairs the board of man-agement of the College ofAgriculture, Science andEducation (CASE).

Former Dean of Agri-culture at CASE, DianMedley was recently ap-pointed vice-president ofAcademic Affairs, replac-ing Johnathon Lameywho retired the ending oflast term.

Agriculturalist and far-mer Donald Elvey hasbeen appointed generalmanager of the All-islandBanana Growers Associa-tion (AIBGA) effectiveMarch 24, 2015.

In a bid to safeguard Jamaicas poultry andpublic health in the wake of recently re-ported outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic AvianInfluenza, commonly known as bird flu, inAsia, Africa, Europe and North America,Government, through the Veterinary ServicesDivision of the Ministry of Agriculture andFisheries, has imposed an immediate importrestriction on poultry products from NorthAmerica the main source from which Ja-maica imports poultry products.

With immediate effect, all poultry andpoultry products (raw, chilled, fresh orfrozen) and by-products not fully cooked,hatching eggs and raw pet foods originatingin the states of Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri,Minnesota, California, Idaho, Oregon andWashington in the USA and British Colum-bia, Canada, are under restriction until fur-ther advised.

The list of products includes, but is notlimited to: live birds and hatching eggs, eggyolks, egg whites; poultry meat (except fullycooked, canned, commercially sterile prod-ucts); raw pet foods containing poultry;feathers/offal.

The measures are intended to safeguardthe countrys poultry and public health. Thereis no immediate food safety risk and the con-sumption of properly cooked poultry meatand poultry products remains safe.

In addition to the imposition of immedi-ate restrictions, the Ministry of Agricultureand Fisheries, in collaboration with industrystakeholders, has already taken other steps to

safeguard Jamaicas poultry and humanhealth.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Fisherieshas already engaged major players in thepoultry industry and has been communicat-ing with importers, Jamaica Customs Agencyand the Ministry of Health on the matter. Fur-ther engagement will involve backyard andsmall scale poultry operators, egg farmers,pet bird owners, pet stores and all other stake-holders to ensure full cooperation on the partof everyone.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Fisherieshas in place a National Emergency AnimalDisease Committee (NEADCOM), chairedby the Minister. This committee overseesprogrammes necessary to ensure the islandspreparedness to handle outbreaks of animaldiseases, including the avian influenza (AI).Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) has been includedin the Ministrys Emergency Animal DiseasePreparedness Plan, which outlines proce-dures in case of a disease emergency.

Poultry farmers are advised to avoidcontact between their poultry and wild birdsby proofing their poultry houses from thesewild birds. They should ensure that wildbirds, including pigeons, cannot enter thepoultry houses and the feed and water mustbe protected from contamination by thesewild birds. Jamaica is currently free of thedisease; however this plan of action must bein place in the event that it does reach the is-lands shores.

Ban imposed on imported N American poultry products

George CallaghanCEO, SIA

Agricultural Staff Movement

The National Irrigation CommissionLimited (NIC), an agency of the Min-istry of Agriculture and Fisheries has ap-pointed Dr. Mark Richards as ChiefExecutive Officer since November 14,2015.

In his new role, Dr. Richards will beresponsible for, among other things, man-aging and coordinating the operations ofall divisions within the NIC and directingstudies of the current and projected na-tional needs for irrigation services in Ja-maica. He has also been tasked withfostering partnerships with various stake-holders from within the public and privatesectors as well as international develop-ment partners to fulfill NICs role in meet-ing the governments objectives foragricultural growth, food security and na-tional development.

An environmental specialist for overten years, he has worked in several capac-ities within agencies of the Government ofJamaica in the areas of environment man-agement and planning, climate science andproject management. He previously servedas highway construction monitoring con-sultant with the National Environment Pro-tection Agency, and as an environmentalengineer at the National Works Agencywhere he was extensively involved inmajor projects involving roads, buildingsand drainage.

Dr. Richards holds a Doctorate in At-mospheric Environmental Chemistry fromthe University of the West Indies and hastraining in the management of climatechange and eco-systems from Seoul Na-tional University and University of Cali-fornia.

Additionally, he completed under-graduate studies in pure and applied chem-istry at the University of the West Indies,where he worked as an assistant lecturer inapplied chemistry and unit processes in in-dustrial chemistry.

Dr. Richards, who is also a farmer,serves as a member of the National AirQuality and Disaster Risk Reduction Com-mittees.

The National Irrigation CommissionLimited is the sole provider of irrigationservices to farmers and other commercialand industrial users across the country. Theorganisation operates irrigation serviceswithin the districts of Yallahs, St. Thomas;Mid-Clarendon; Braco, Trelawny; St.Dorothy, Rio Cobre and Colbeck, St.Catherine; New Forest/Duff House inManchester; Hounslow and Beacon/LittlePark, St. Elizabeth and Seven Rivers in St.James.

-Contributed

Dian Medley VP, CASE

PROFILEMark Richards - CEO of

National Irrigation Commission

Dr. Mark Richards CEO, NIC


MXL-126 SUGARCANE LOADER INVENTORS:Richard Powell, executive chairman & chief engineer onthe MXL-126 Sugarcane Loader Project (l) and ChurchillMcPherson, lead mechanical & quality assurance manageron the MXL-126 Sugarcane Loader Project.

Mapex released Jamaicas first Sugarcane LoaderBy Patrick Maitland

Editor-The Agriculturalist

Jamaican sugarcane industry got a boostwith the recent release of the MapexMXL-126 High Reach Cane Loader, rated asone of the most reliable, efficient and eco-nomical cane harvesting machines in the re-gion.

According to Richard Powell, Sr., exec-utive chairman of Machinery & Parts Export,LLC (Mapex) based in Mandeville and head-quarters in Orlando, Florida, USA, theMapex MXL-126 was designed with a sim-ple concept in mind: to create the worldsbest whole stalk sugar cane loader. With thatas our inspiration, we made the most reliable,

efficient and economical loader, setting thismachine apart from its competition.

Powell said the MXL-126 is outfittedwith several state-of-the-art parts includingthe Iveco N45 Engine, which contributed tolower fuel consumption considerably, whilemaintaining superior performance andtorque.

After a successful launch and testing ofthe prototype last year, two other MXL-126swere assembly in Jamaica by a team of fiveJamaican and overseas engineers. The ma-chines are doing extremely well in the fieldsas farmers are very pleased with the 72-inchtrack width that is well suited for most localfield conditions without damaging the banks

and ration crops, Powell explains.With an additional 12 MXL-126 load-

ers being assembled for both the local andoverseas markets, the veteran farm equip-ment distributor added that the design of theloader allows for quicker and easier mainte-nance, thus reducing downtime and increas-ing productivity.

Costing an average of $10-12 millionper loader, Powell reveals that the project isvery challenging but he remains very opti-mistic as he was currently receiving severalinquiries from prospective buyers.

Powell further said that the Sugar Trans-formation Unit (STU) of the Ministry ofAgriculture and Fisheries as well as the en-

tire sugar industry stakeholders, have beenvery supportive of the project.

However, the government should con-sider relaxing the up-front payment of the16.5 percent General Consumption Tax(GCT) on imported parts, which are beingused to assembly the Mapex MXL-126loader.

A reduction or removal of these taxeswould help us expand operation and operatemore efficiently, Powell added.

Machinery & Parts Export is a full-ser-vice procurement company and distributor-ship that specializes in agricultural,industrial, hotel, construction and truckequipment, and spare parts.

Grant/cholarship for CASE

Secretary and PRDirector, CASEClass of 1988,Patrick Maitland (l)presents CASEpresident, MaryNichols a check of$166,500 to coverbursaries for sixstudents in the faculty ofagriculture.

President of Ole Farmers Association North America, Inc, (OFANA) Wendell Codner (6th l) and CASE president Mary Nichols posewith students and recepients of OFANA scholarship which is valued at US$8,000 and was presented at the college Founders Day cel-ebration held in January 2015

(l-r) Former agriculture min-ister and CASE alumni;Robert Montague; president,CASE Alumni Association,Webster McPherson; CASEvice-president, Dian Medley;CASE board chairman, Der-rick Heaven and CASE pres-ident Mary Nichols cut acake in celebration of the105th Anniversary of thefounding of the GovernmentFarm School on January 25,1910.

NEWS


For further information contract:JAMAICA DAIRY DEVELOPMENT BOARDMinistry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hope Gardens, Kingston 6

Tel: (876) 618-7107 Fax (876)977-9230 Email: [email protected]/

By Hugh Graham, CEOJamaica Dairy Development Board

Having carefully evaluated the requests of CASE totransform the dairy unit into a centre of best prac-tices, The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, throughits agency The Jamaica Dairy Development Board, ispleased to announce the following major interventions atCASE: Phase 1 of the renovation of the CASE Dairy Unit: agrant in the sum of J$12.2 million to renovate existingbuilding and structures; repair existing cooling system;acquire fodder chopping equipment; install machine milk-ing system; resuscitate and create new pastures; and ac-quire a pasteurizer and supporting equipment. A grant of 25 Jamaica Hope heifers that are procuredfrom Serge Island Farms Limited valued at J$1.6 million. Two scholarships valued at J$600,000 annually to stu-dents of animal science and/or general agriculture. Two bursaries valued at J$120,000 annually to studentsof animal science and/or general agriculture. A Book grant to the library at CASE to ensure that thecollege is up to date on the latest publications in agricul-ture, animal science and dairy science.

I have not herein exhausted the support that myMinistry has committed to CASE. For example, everyyear we take on many students as part of the colleges Co-operative Internship Education Programme. The Dairy

Board has committed to continue its participation in thisprogramme.

Note carefully, we have included a pasteuriser andsupporting equipment with our assistance. This will en-sure that the milk produced at CASE will be safe for usein the school feeding programme.

Several basic and infant schools in this parish standto benefit from having milk from CASE in their porridgeunder the breakfast programme.

REVITALIZATION OF THE DAIRY SECTOR

The Dairy Sector Revitalization Programme hasgiven critical support to the industry since itslaunch in 2008.

PROJECT FOCUSMaking available low cost loans and grants to farmersthrough the DBJ/PC Bank network for working capi-tal support.

LOAN COMPONENTBeef and dairy farmers have benefited from loans to-taling $64 M for pasture development; purchasingbreeding stock; and upgrading farm equipment.

CAPACITY BUILDING COMPONENTAssistance provided through farmers organizationsinclude: The re-introduction of a National MilkRecording Programme in collaboration with the Ja-maica Hope Cattle Breeders Society; Allocationofmastitis testing kits and computers to aid participat-ing farmers in National Milk Recording Programme.

GRANT SUPPORT PROGRAMMEAssist in building local capacity in Embryo TransferTechnique; Capacity building support to BDPAJ in thedevelopment of an operational plan for the manage-ment of cluster farms and engagement of pre-projectconsultancy; Initiation of a collaborative researchproject with UWI, St Augustine to develop an island-wide nutritional profile of Jamaica pastures, upgradethe Forage Analytical Laboratory at Bodles; and Ap-proval of grants funding to enable restoration of milkcollection facility at Rhymesfield Cooperative. Sup-port the establishment of a milk testing reference lab-oratory at the Bodles Research Station.

JAMAICA DAIRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD NEWS & UP-DATES

IN SUPPORT OF EDUCATION:Jamaica Dairy Development Board, chairman Janice Holness (3rd l), Hugh Graham, CEO; College of Agriculture, Science and Education(CASE) president Mary Nicholas (2nd l) pose with scholarship winning students of the college. Two scholarships valued at J$600,000 an-nually and two bursarieswere presented to students of animal science and general agriculture valued at J$120,000 annually to studentsof animal science and/or general agriculture. A Book grant to the library at CASE to ensure that the college is up to date on the latest pub-lications in agriculture, animal science and dairy science were also donated by the Dairy Board.

Dairy Board Supports CASE

Jamaica Dairy Development Board, chair-man Janice Holness (l) presents scholarshipagreement letter to a CASE student.


Around Town PhotosSilbert O'Meally ofAgro Grace (l) andWinston Thomasof Newport Millsinspect pesticideat a recent agricultural summit organizedby the JAS andwas held at the Jamaica Confer-ence Center,Kingston.

Farmer Lawrence Lynch (2nd left) displays onion reaped from his field with (fromleft) the Hon Derrick Kellier, Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security;Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary; and Don McGlashan, director general,both of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, during a tour of onion fields in theYallahs Agro-Park in St. Thomas on March 18.

Member of Parliament for North Eastern St. Elizabeth, Raymond Pryce (right),looks on as Chair of the Digicel Foundation, Jean Lowrie Chin (foreground), cutsthe ribbon to open to the shade house, which the Foundation handed over to theJCDC at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre, in Kingston, on March 11. Othersobserving are: Chairman of the Ranny Williams Re-development Committee andBoard Commissioner of the JCDC, Pamela Redwood (2nd right); and ExecutiveDirector of the JCDC, Delroy Gordon.


TECHNOLOGY NEWS

The island wide infestation of crops by the BeetArmyworm has resulted in a $150 million lossof revenue to farmers. This pest has been most per-vasive in the parish of St. Elizabeth.

In response to this threat, Hi-Pro Farms Sup-plies has introduced to the farmers a new high tech-nology BASF insecticide, Alverde, to help eliminatethe pest. The product has been successful in the fightagainst Beet Armyworm and 28 other species ofworm, potato beetle, bugs and ants throughout theCaribbean and South American region.

Within a day, Alverde paralyzes the pest andstops it from eating, thereby minimizing crop dam-age, said Orville Roache, Technical Sales Agrono-mist at Hi-Pro Farm Suppliers - distributor of theinsecticide. He said that working with chemicalmanufacturer, BASF, we have registered Alverde tocombat this threat to farmers livelihood. This in-secticide is just one more of a long list of success-ful BASF chemicals now available to farmersthrough Hi-Pro Farm Supplies.

Alverde can dramatically increase local foodproduction by protecting field produce from pests.While the core business function of BASF is to in-crease crop yield, Hi-Pros mandate is to ensure thatour farmers produce profitably, so the collaboration

is working said Conley Salmon, Hi-Pro Vice Pres-ident of Marketing for Feed & Agricultural Sup-plies. Were very happy with this product becausewe are in a position to efficiently safeguard farm-ers profits by controlling infestation, he contin-ued.

Hi-Pros agronomy team has already conducteddemonstrations on a number of farms to prove theeffectiveness of the insecticide. Over three yearsnow, Im having trouble with the Beet Armyworm,said Roy Moxam, a farmer from Flagaman, St. Eliz-abeth, and participant in the demonstrations, whoseescallion crop has been consistently destroyed byBeet Armyworm. I used the Alverde on a half-acre[of escallion] and it destroyed the worms. The cropis now just fresh, green and pretty.

Alverde is classified by the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency as a reduced risk candidate forthe environment and is registered with the PesticidesControl Authority of Jamaica.

It is part of a new generation of chemicals withminimal environmental impact and active ingredi-ents which rapidly break down, making it consider-ably safer for consumers of the finished productthan previous insecticides.

Roy Moxam at his farm in Flagaman, St. Elizabeth where his escallion crop was used to demon-strate the successful control of the Beet Armyworm using Alverde.

Hi-Pro Farm Supplies Helps Farmers FightBeet Armyworm

Portable computers and smart-phones are destined to widelypopulate farm tractor cabs, pick-ups and offices in the future.

Apples iPhone (which nowis available through several carri-ers Lime, Digicel, Verizon as wellas AT & T) and smartphonesusing Googles Android operatingsystem are becoming the cellularcommunicators of choice formany farmers.

Thats despite the reality thatfew of the tens of thousands ofphone applications are specific toagriculture.

Sales of tablet computers,like Apples iPad, are expected togrow dramatically. Sales will befueled by a raft of new touch-screen tablets introduced in early2014 that run a customized ver-sion of Googles Android operat-ing system. In coming weeks and

months, you can expect to seenew Android tablets from Dell,Acer, Asus, LG, Motorola, MSI,Samsung, Sharp, ZTE and others.

Ag-specific mobile comput-ers continue to be based on theWindows operating system. Thisallows them to run Windows-based software that dominates theagriculture market.

Ag Leader, Farm Works andSST have recently introducednew Windows Mobile ruggedhandhelds with enhanced fea-tures, including more powerfulprocessors, GPS, high-resolutioncameras and built-in wireless andcellular communications capabil-ities. For even more computinghorsepower, Farm Works also of-fers the Yuma ruggedized tabletcomputer, which runs the fullWindows 7 operating system.

David Hest

BASF rolls out Limus nitro-gen management which willbe available for the 2015 growingseason. With fall applicationstalled, spring fertilizer applica-tion will become important.

Spring application of urea-based fertilizer is a great way tocover a lot of acres fast. Protect-ing that urea from urease en-zymes in the soil will help keepwhat you paid for where you ap-plied it.

Crop protection companyBASF has a long history with ni-trogen. The firm can reach farback in its history to two com-pany chemists - Fritz Haber andCarl Bosch, without whom mod-ern farming could have been setback for some time. The twochemists came up with the Haber-Bosch process that allowed themto harness nitrogen to create am-monia, which allows farmers toapply nitrogen-based nutrients.Without nitrogen getting top levelyields in corn would be challeng-ing.

Now BASF is innovating innitrogen again, this time withLimus nitrogen management, aurease inhibitor which includestwo active ingredients to makesure applied urea-based nitrogenproducts stay where they belong- on the ground. "We saw the op-portunity to enhance this market-place with a new offering," saysNick Fassler, product manager,

BASF. "What sets Limus apart isthat it uses two active ingredientsand we found that this combina-tion provided the most perform-ance against the urease enzyme inthe soil."

Fassler notes that the one-two punch on urease offered byLimus provided longer perform-ance in the company's test trialwork. He also notes that nitrogenmanagement is a growing market."Growers are looking to optimizetheir fertilizer investment," hesays. "We've seen a shift fromone application to a timely appli-cation providing nitrogen as thecrop needs it."

Limus works in the spoon-feeding system helping make sureany applied urea or UAN usingthe system doesn't volatilize tooquickly. Fassler notes that youcan lose more than 40% of sur-face-applied urea due tovolatilization within a two weeksof application. The key is to keepthat urea protected until a rainevent can move it into the soilwhere it can get to work.

Volatilization is a worry forboth dry urea you broadcast onthe crop and liquid UAN you dripon top of the soil as a sidedressapplication. Limus has beenshown to cut ammonia losses bymore than 90%, according toFassler. "That was shown in trialswhere we left urea on top of thesoil for 30 days.

New Player in Nitrogen Management

Mobile Computing in Agriculture


Contact:EVERTON SPENCER (CEO)

AGRO-INVESTMENT CORPORATIONAMC Complex, 188 Spanish Town Road, Kingston 11, Jamaica, WI

Tel: 764 8071; 923 9268; 923 0086; 923 9261 Fax: 758 [email protected] or [email protected]

Website: www.agroinvest.gov.jm

Management of State Owned AssetsAgro-Invest will manage the portfolio of investment proper-ties previously managed by ADC. Any addition to or subtrac-tion from the asset base and mode of operation will be basedon investment decisions.

Investment Project DevelopmentAgro-Invest will be responsible for developing and imple-menting the business and investment models that support theMinistrys policy and technological initiatives, utilizing itsown asset base (including the resources of the AgriculturalSupport Services and Productive Projects Ltd.)

Project ManagementThis area is more appropriately described as project incuba-tion, in that Agro-Invest will manage investment projects untilsuch time as they are considered to be sustainable, and can behanded over to external investors or operators.

Resource MobilizationRecognizing that most business financing models have a debtand equity component, technical expertise will be availableto design loan packages, working with such local institution asthe Development Bank of Jamaica and external lending agen-cies. The equity portion will be mobilized through leveragingthe Agro-Invests assets base to secure external capital.

Investor Identification and FacilitationAgro-Invest will identify joint venture partners through pack-aging of products and actively securing equity partners, bothlocally and internationally. Agro-Invest will also partner withJamaica Trade & Invest in seeking joint venture partners, andassisting them in making their capital injection, optimisingany incentives that are available to foster external investment.

Promoting and Facilitating Agribusiness Investment


PLANT NUTRITION & SOIL NEWS

We don't sell a bag of fertiliser. We sella bag of solutions, managing direc-tor of Newport Fersan, Dennis Valdez, toldThe Sunday Gleaner recently.

"Anybody can sell a bag of fertiliserbut our fertiliser comes with service whichsets us apart with respect to competitors.In selling you a bag of fertiliser, we supplya bag full of solutions together with thetransferring of technology and knowledgeto each farmer who uses our products,"added Valdez.

According to Valdez, cuttingedgetechnology, an outgrowth of its ongoing in-vestment in research and development, iswhat informs the Newport Fersan's precisenutrition programme which accounts for itsgrowing popularity among farmers.

Precise nutrition "We prescribe precise nutrition no

more, no less," Valdez explained. "It's likea family type doctor for plants. So we visityour farm, take soil samples and send thesamples to a lab. and in those results weknow what the soil can provide. We knowwhat the crop requires and we can deter-mine how much nutrient to apply to sup-ply the right amount of nutrient to that crop

to obtain the highest possible yields."However, Valdez, who has presided

over the company's Jamaican operationsfor the last seven and half years, says ittook a major investment in time as well asresources to convince local farmers of thevalue to be gained from the precise appli-cation of fertiliser, as against the traditionalbroadbased methods.

"It has not been an easy job and that'swhy we are where we are today, being thepreferred brand of fertiliser because of ourconsistency. I believe a lot in show and tell.If you are a farmer accustomed to using16918 NPK (ratio of nitrogen, phos-phorus and potassium that make up com-plete fertiliser's) and your father,grandfather are used to using this, whyshould you change your formula when youhave seen results in the past?

"You have to go and explain to thefarmers that you are applying a productwith an additive enhancer. It might cost alittle bit more because you are adding a dif-ferent element but at the end of the day,that additional cost will represent savingsto him or her because the nutrients remainin the soil for a longer time."

Spurred on by this accomplishment,the Newport Fersan team is all fired up andmotivated to do even more to maintain andeven increase the pace in order to stayahead of its competitors.

"We still have a lot of work to do,"Valdez disclosed, "and we have developeda technical department only dedicated to

providing our unique recipe for precise nu-trition programme. We don't only have asales team out there selling products butwe also have a technical team that visitsyour farm, makes an assessment of yourfarm coffee, citrus, sugar cane, veg-etable, you name it, anything."

-Courtesy of Sunday Gleaner

Newport Fersan Providing Customised Fertilisers

SPONSORED BY:Newport-Fersan (Jamaica) Limited as part of its farmers and public education programme

Send questions and comments to: Technical Manager: Newport-Fersan, Lot No 2a/2b Wherry Wharf Complex, Newport East, Kingston - 967-5815

IMPROVED CANE YIELDS FROM CUSTOMISED BLEND OF FERTILIZER:Newport Fersan Technical and Sales team including Managing Director Dennis Valdez (9th l) pose with members of JWray & Nephew, St Elizabeth Sugar Cane Farm-ers Association and Fair Trade Association after a special field day training session.JWray & Nephew also shared testimonials on their improved yields based on theFersan precise nutrition programme. Other farmers also reported improved cane yields as a result of the customised blend of fertilizer developed by the company.

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TTeell..:: ((887766)) 996677--55881155,, 996677--55556611,, 994488--99775599,, 994488--99555599FFaaxx:: ((887766))994488--33777722

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Providing fertilizer recommendations basedon soil, tissue and water analyses

Supplying PROVEN quality fertilizer with thelatest technology for farmers

Offering the best technology inmicronutrients in our fertilizer blends

Offering additives to enhance Nitrogen andPhosphorus uptake

t h e f i r s t o n t h e l a n dNewport Fersan, Dennis Valdez (l) presents a special sample of the fertil-izer bland to cane farmer M Terrlonge


HEALTH WATCH

What are the top health concerns of men?Although the life-expectancy gap be-tween men and women has de-creased, women still live 5.2 years longerthan men.

Several things work against men.They tend to smoke and drink more thanwomen and they dont seek the medicalattention they need as often as women.

There also are health conditions thatonly affect men, such as prostate cancer,testicular cancer and low testosterone.Some men also define themselves bytheir work, which can add to their stress.

Why do men dieyounger thanwomen?

Men face some unique health challenges,particularly as they age. While men andwomen often suffer from the same ad-verse health conditions, men suffer frommany common ailments at an earlier age.A few possible reasons for this are hor-mones, heredity and often men do notpay as much attention to maintainingtheir health as do women.

In addition: A higher percentage ofmen have no health care coverage.Men go to the doctor for prevention vis-its half as often as women.

Men are employed in greater num-bers in the most dangerous occupations,such as mining, firefighting and con-struction.

Men may have less healthylifestyles, including risk-taking atyounger ages.

What can I do tostay healthy and prevent disease?

Men need to make an extra effort to stayhealthy as they grow older. They shouldfocus on eating the proper foods, exer-cising and seeing a doctor for regularhealth checkups. A healthy lifestyle goesa long way toward reducing the risk ofdeveloping health problems.

Remember:Be your own health advocateEducate yourself about a healthy lifestyleEat healthyBe physically activeMaintain a healthy weightGo for regular doctor and dental examsGet appropriate vaccinationsManage stressKnow your family health historyDont smokeIf you drink, do so in moderation.

NutriCareBy

Gloria Bent, MS, RD, CDN - NutritionistQuestions &Comments [email protected]

Hunger vs CravingHunger

Usually occurs when you haven'teaten for a few hours or moreResults in a rumbling stomach,headache or feeling of weaknessDoesn't pass with timeIsn't just for one specific foodCan be satisfied by a healthy snack ormeal

CravingAre usually for comfort foods, such aschocolate, sweets and fatty foodsAre often caused by negative feelingsLead to eating that makes you feelgood at first, but then guiltyMay be stronger when you're dieting,especially if you're giving up your fa-vorite foods

Can occur even after you've recentlyeatenPass with time

How to deal with cravingDistract yourself: Try calling a friend,listening to music, taking a walk orbike ride, reading, or writing. If a negative feeling is causing yourcraving, use Stress reduction tech-niques might include taking a long hotbath, walking, relaxation exercises, oryogaDrink a glass of water before givingin to a craving. Sometimes when youthink you're hungry, you're really justthirstyMake lower calorie choices wheneverpossible

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