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VOL. 25 NO. 4 • OCTOBER 2014 FREE COPY WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

By DOUGLAS McINTOSH, JIS

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ)

is reporting that Agriculture, Forestry,

and Fishing led the sectors which grew dur-

ing the April to June 2014 quarter, recording

growth of 12.6 per cent over the correspon-ding period last year.

Other sectors recording growth, accord-

ing to the PIOJ, include: Hotels and Restau-

rants, up 2.7 per cent; Transport, Storage, and

Communication, 1.3 per cent; and Construc-

tion, 1 per cent.

Overall growth of 1.2 per cent was

recorded for the quarter, with the Goods Pro-

ducing Industry up 3.6 per cent, and Serv-

ices, 0.5 per cent.

The PIOJ’s Director General, Colin Bul-

lock, says the overall quarterly outturn

largely reflects the result of improved

weather conditions, and continued imple-

mentation of initiatives, aimed at improving

productivity and output in agriculture, par-

ticularly from the Agro Parks.Addressing the PIOJ’s quarterly media

briefing, at the agency’s New Kingston of-

fices on Wednesday (August 20), Mr. Bul-

lock said the performance of the goods

producing industry, specifically for agricul-

ture and construction, largely reflected re-

covery from the impact of hurricane Sandy,

as well as increased expenditure in construc-

tion.

He pointed out that traditional agricul-

tural crop exports grew by 92.1 per cent;other agricultural crops, mainly domestic

produce increased by 5.5 per cent; and ani-

mal farming activities, 0.9 per cent.

“Seven of the nine crop groups within

the other agricultural crops component

recorded increases, including: plantains, up

70.6 per cent; yams, up 15.4 per cent; and

potatoes, up 14.3 per cent. Within the tradi-

tional export crops component, higher out-

put was recorded for sugarcane, up 136.4 per

cent; and bananas, up 130.4 per cent,” the

Director General outlined.

Sectors declining included: Mining and

Quarrying, down 0.6 per cent; Manufactur-

ing, 0.3 per cent; Electricity and Water, 1.6

per cent; and Producers of Government Serv-

ices, 0.2 per cent.Bullock explained that the overall slow-

ing in the pace of growth will largely reflect

a projected decline for the agricultural,

forestry, and fishing industry, due to the im-

pact of drought conditions, and bush fires on

domestic crop production.

12.6%

Growthfor Agri

Hundreds Say

Farewell to Roger

Special tribute on pages 6-14

ROGER CLIFFORD CLARKE

JUNE 11, 1940 - AUGUST 28, 2014



2 • THE AGRICULTURALIST • OCTOBER 2014 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM



WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM OCTOBER 2014 • THE AGRICULTURALIST • 3

EDITORI L

The late Agriculture and Fisheries Min-

ister, Mr. Roger Clifford Clarke, was

indeed an extraordinary man -- influencingand managing people for some four

decades, including 12 years as minister.Shortly after graduating from the Man-

ning High School in Westmoreland, Mr.

Clarke entered the field of agriculture,starting as a sugar estate bookkeeper.

He later moved from managing farmsto later owning and operating his own

farms. Mr. Clarke was also one of the

largest sugar cane farmers in the island.Mr. Clarke dedicated most of his work-

ing and professional life to farming and

representational politics. He was a long-standing member of the ruling PNP and a

veteran parliamentarian.With an infectious sense of humor, Mr.

Clarke has been described as very hard

working, passionate and committed.He was always known to attract people

from across various social and economicstrata. In any large crowd, he would stand

out as a result of his larger-than-life per-

sonality and keen interest in people.

A former president of the St. ElizabethBranch of the Jamaica Agricultural Soci-

ety, Mr. Clarke was always destined to beamong the top policymakers and political

leaders in Jamaica.

His home was said to be the meeting

grounds for anyone who wanted to visit

him.

However, amidst the challenges andchanging economic environment, the late

minister did his best to grow the agricul-tural sector and looked out for his fellow

farmers.

With domestic food production at theending of 2013, peaks at 610,138 tons, Ja-

maica’s longest serving Minister of Agri-

culture would have ended his tour of dutyon a very positive note.

Minister Clarke will be missed, not justfor his good sense of humour or a “master”

at the game of domino, but for his love and

support for people.As we reflect on Roger Clarke’s jour-

ney, we will always remember his familyand friends in our prayers.

Walk good my friend!

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 n o longer than 400 words. Not all articles will be published.

ocal

Point

OP O S

Reflecting on Roger Clarke’s journey!

ROME (IPS):

At the 1996 World Food Summit (WFS),

heads of government and the interna-

tional community committed themselves to

reducing the number of hungry people in the

world by half. Five years later, the Millen-

nium Development Goals (MDGs) lowered

this level of ambition by only seeking to

halve the proportion of the hungry.The latest State of World Food Insecu-

rity (SOFI) report for 2014 by the Rome-

based Food and Agriculture Organization,

World Food Programme and International

Fund for Agricultural Development estimates

that 805 million people – one in nine people

worldwide – remain chronically hungry: 789

million are in developing countries where

this share has declined from 23.4 to 13.5 per-

cent.

By 2012-14, 63 developing countries

had reached the MDG target – to either re-

duce the share of hungry people by half, or

keep the share of the hungry under five per-

cent – with several more on track to do so by

2015.

Some 25 countries have made more im-pressive progress, achieving the more ambi-

tious WFS target of halving the number of

hungry. However, the number of hungry peo-

ple in the world has only declined by one-

fifth from the billion estimated for 1990-92.

Major effort neededThe proportion of undernourished peo-

ple – those regularly not able to consume

enough food for an active and healthy life –

has decreased from 23.4 percent in 1990–

1992 to 13.5 percent in 2012–2014. This is

significant because a large and growing num-

ber of countries show that achieving and sus-

taining rapid progress in reducing hunger is

feasible.

However, the MDG target of halving the

chronically undernourished people’s share of the world’s population by the end of 2015

cannot be met at the current rate of progress.Meeting the target is still possible, however,

with a sufficient, immediate additional effort

to accelerate progress, especially in countries

which have showed little progress so far.

Progress uneven“By 2012-14, 63 developing countries had

reached the MDG target – to either reduce the

share of hungry people by half, or keep the

share of the hungry under five percent – with

several more on track to do so by 2015”

Overall progress has been highly un-

even. All but 14 million of the world’s hungry

live in developing countries. Some countries

and regions have seen only slow progress in

reducing hunger, while the absolute number

of hungry has even increased in several cases.

While sub-Saharan Africa has the highestshare of the chronically hungry, almost one

in four, South Asia has the highest number,

with over half a billion undernourished.

Marked differences in reducing under-

nourishment have persisted across regions.

There have been significant reductions in

both the estimated share and number of un-

dernourished in most countries in Southeast

Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, Latin America

and the Caribbean – where the MDG targetof halving the hunger rate has been reached,

or nearly reached.

West Asia has seen a rise in the share of

the hungry compared with 1990–1992, while

progress in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia

and Oceania has not been sufficient to meet

the MDG hunger target by 2015.

In several countries, underweight and

stunting persist in children, even when un-

dernourishment is low and most people have

access to sufficient food. Such nutrition fail-

ures are due not only to insufficient food ac-

cess, but also to poor health conditions and

the high incidence of diseases such as diar-

rhoea, malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

Food security and nutritionHunger is conventionally measured in

terms of the prevalence of undernourishment,

the FAO estimate of chronic inadequacy of

dietary energy. While such a measure is use-

ful for estimating hunger, it needs to be com-

plemented by more measures to capture other

dimensions of food security.

With the post-2015 Sustainable Devel-

opment Goals likely to seek to overcome

hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition,

FAO has recently developed and tested a new

Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) in

over 150 countries to measure the severity of

reported food insecurity.

LessonsImprovements in nutrition generally re-

quire complementary policies, including im-proving health conditions, hygiene, water

supply and education. More sophisticated

and creative approaches to coordination and

governance are needed, with more, and more

effective, resources to end hunger and mal-

nutrition in our lifetimes.

With high levels of deprivation, unem-

ployment and underemployment continuing

and likely to prevail in the world in the fore-

seeable future, poverty and hunger are un-likely to be overcome without universalising

social protection to all in need, but also to

provide the means for future livelihoods and

resilience.

The forthcoming Second International

Conference of Nutrition in Rome on Novem-

ber 19-21 is expected to articulate coherent

bases for accelerated progress to overcome

undernutrition as well as for greater interna-

tional cooperation and support for enhanced

and more integrated national nutrition efforts.

Step Up Efforts Against Hunger

Publisher & Editor:Patrick Maitland

Consulting Editors:Vincent Wright, Jairzenho Bailey

Produced & Published by:

Agri Life Foundation LtdAMC Complex,

188 Spanish Town Road, Kingston 11, Jamaica, W.I.Tel: (876) 923-7471• 923-7428

Fax: (876) [email protected]

www.theagriculturalist.com_______________________________________ Agri Life Foundation is a non-profit

organization that foster and encourage

farmers to become more self-sufficientand competitive in a free market economy.

ByJOMO KWAME SUNDARAMCoordinator for Economic andSocial Development- Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO)



4 • THE AGRICULTURALIS T • OCTOBER 2014 WWW.THEAGRI CULTURALIST.COM

WS

Farmers Trainedto Combat Beet

ArmywormApproximately 150 farmers from the parish

of St. Elizabeth have successfully com-

pleted a nine-week training course on Beet

Armyworm Integrated Pest Management,aimed at building local capacity to managethe pest.

The training was co-ordinated by theMinistry of Agriculture and Fisheries under

its Strengthening a National Beet Army-worm Programme, which is a two-year

project being funded by the Food and Agri-

culture Organization (FAO) at a cost of ap-proximately US$213,000. The United

States Agency for International Develop-ment (USAID) is providing technical as-

sistance.All the participants received certifi-

cates at a graduation ceremony held onSeptember 11, at the Junction Guest House

in St. Elizabeth. Addressing the ceremony,

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry,

Dermon Spence, said the farmers were thesecond batch trained, with the first group

of 22 farmers trained in 2013.

-----------------------------------------------

Profit slides atJamaica Broilers

Jamaica Broilers has announced that, de-

spite the continued depreciation of the

local currency and sluggish consumer de-

mand, its Best Dressed and Hi-Pro Ace di-

visions performed well during the during

three months to August 2.

However, overall results were nega-

tively affected by the performance of the

Ethanol Division. During the quarter the

company saw its net profit slide to $114

million, from $140 million last year.

Jamaica Broilers says it has been con-

tacted by a number of parties which have

expressed an interest in entering new fuel

processing contracts.

--------------------------------------------------

EU to set harvestrecords in bothcorn and wheat

Europe's farmers will this year achieve

record corn and wheat production,

Strategie Grains said, upgrading its esti-

mates for both harvests, although restating

its concern over the quality of the wheat

crop.The influential analysis group raised

by 2.5m tonnes to a record 146.6m tonnes

its estimate for the newly-finished Euro-

pean Union soft wheat harvest, the world's

biggest.

Total wheat production, at 153.8m

tonnes, is an all-time high too, beating the

2008 high, despite a relatively small crop

this year of durum, the hard wheat used in

making pasta.

Strategie Grains also raised by 3.3m

tonnes to a record 71.3m tonnes its esti-

mate for production of corn for grain, ex-

cluding the silage maize crops popular in

some more northern EU countries, such as

the UK, for dairy cow feeding and biogas

plants. www.agrimoney.com

AGRICULTURE MINISTRY TESTS NEW SWEET POTATO VARIETY FOR EXPORT:Marketing consultant, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Derrick Deslandes (l), explains the attributes of the Beauregardsweet potato to Acting Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Derrick Kellie (2nd l) during a tour of the New Forest /Duff House Agro-Park on August 11. Listening (l-r) Acting Zonal Director, Rural Agricultural Development Authority, Donald Robin-son, Permanent Secretary Donovan Stanberry and farmer Jeff Stephenson. Thirty thousand slips of a new variety of sweet potato, the Beauregard, has been planted at three agro-parks - New Forest/Duff House in St. Elizabeth/Manchester, SpringPlain in Clarendon, Yallahs in St. Thomas and at a farm in Charlemont, St. Catherine. According to Donovan Stanberry, Per-manent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, this new variety, imported out of the United States was spe-cially requested by the Fresh Produce Consortium out of the United Kingdom. The Consortium is an association of over 700

businesses, including retailers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, processors, packers and food service companies, hasbeen in discussion with some large farmers who operate in the agro-parks to export sweet potatoes from Jamaica to the UK.

DAIRY FARMERS BENEFIT FROM FODDER BANKS:(l-r) Walton Rodney, Jasmine Holness, chairman of the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB); board members DouglasSaunders and Keith Amiel; and Chief Executive Officer Hugh Graham examine forage chaffer in operation at Cabbage Val-ley in St. Elizabeth. The equipment is one of four procured by the JBBD to assist small farmers with the feeding of harvested

fodder. Twenty-three small dairy farmers are now benefiting from fodder banks that were established by the Ministry of Agri-culture and Fisheries and with financial and technical assistance from the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB). Underthe Dairy Sector Revitalization Programme of the JDDB, the 40- hectare project was implemented at a cost of $28m. The proj-ect facilitated the planting of fodder (King Grass and sugar cane) that is to be harvested and used to augment the feedingof dairy and beef cattle, thereby mitigating the adverse impact of the severe drought which is now affecting the country.




WS

REMEMBRINGMISISTER CLARKE

From the Board of Directors,

Parish Advisory Boards,

Management and Staff of Rural

Agricultural Development Authority

The Board of Directors, Parish Advisory Board, Management and Staff of

the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) would like to

convey our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the late Minis-

ter of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke.

An agricultural icon who hailed from humble beginnings in Glen Islay,

Westmoreland has established a legacy and accomplishments which touched

the lives of many, transcending race, divisions or creed.We note his passion for the agricultural sector, the unique manner in which

he related to his fellow farmers and his valiant contribution towards the preser-

vation of our rich history. He served with discipline, empathy and compassion

for people.

His vision to promote agriculture in Jamaica as the main engine of eco-

nomic growth in rural communities through an efficient, modern and sus-

tainable extension service which will enhance the national economy and

improve the quality of life of rural farm families still resonates as the mandate

of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority.

We thank the late Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, for his fruitful

years of service to this country more particularly within the agricultural sec-

tor.

May his soul rest in peace and light perpetually shine upon him. “Great-

ness cannot be measured in terms of material prowess but to the legacy that

you leave behind.”

Courtesy of RJR News Centre

The Agriculture Ministry has indicated

that Jamaica is not yet in a position to

grow enough red peas to match consump-

tion so imports will continue.

Last year, the country imported roughly

one billion dollars worth of red peas.

This has upset many local players who

argue that the country should be able to pro-

duce enough of the commodity.

However, Permanent Secretary in the

Agriculture Ministry, Donovan Stanberry,

states that this is unlikely to change soon.

He pointed to Jamaica's legal obligations

plus the efficiency of other countries in

growing red peas:

Mr. Stanberry said "the real issue withread peas is that we are part and parcel of a

CARICOM trading arrangement and most

imports in fact comes in from Belize duty

free based on the CARICOM agreement and

we just have to be objective. We cannot

compete with Belize given to the scale of

red peas production given the level of mech-

anisation in Belize.

Data obtained by the RJR News Centre

reveal that 85 percent of the peas used in Ja-

maica is imported.

Meanwhile Mr Stanberry says the pro-

duction of red peas in Jamaica is increasing

annually but there are vital changes needed

if the country is to compete successfully:

He said "we have 220 farmers, most of

whom operate on a small acreage.

To get our costs down we would have

to plant red pease on large acreages that are

mechanized and it is in that context why thedevelopment of the Agro park is critical be-

cause what the Agro parks allow us to do is

be able to engage large acreage that would

give us the type of economy of scale.

Jamaica can'tcompete with

Belize in red peas

Carl Williams, 50 has been appointedCommissioner police effective Sep-

tember 15, 2014.

Williams comes to the post with a trackrecord of innovation and performance in a

wide variety of command roles in the Ja-

maica Constabulary Force and is highlyqualified academically, with a PhD in

Criminal Justice, the Ministry said.Williams is the founding director of

Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corrup-

tion Agency (MOCA) and the innovatorresponsible for conceptualizing and devel-

oping the Anti-Lottery Scam Task Force.He led Jamaica's anti-narcotics cam-

paign from 2000 to 2004 with the success-

ful prosecution and/or extradition of anumber of major narcotics traffickers.

Williams was enlisted in the JCF in

February 1984.President of the Jamaica Agricultural

Society (JAS) Norman Grant expressedhis sincere congratulations the Commis-

sioner and pledged the support of the soci-

ety.

ADDIS ABABA:

Anew campaign by the International Fer-

tilizer Industry Association (IFA), theAfrican Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partner-

ship (AFAP) and six other agricultural devel-

opment partner organizations aims to promote

the importance of fertilizer access for African

farmers as a means of bridging the current

agricultural productivity gap on the continent.

The campaign is being launched at the

African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), athree-day event bringing together the globalagricultural community to discuss and coor-

dinate strategies for achieving the green rev-

olution in Africa.

“Fertilizer use in Africa remains star-

tlingly low compared to other regions, with

average use at around 10 kg per hectare, a

tenth of the global average,” said Charlotte

Hebebrand, Director General of IFA. “As the

voice of the global fertilizer industry, IFA will

continue to dedicate time and resources toraising awareness on fertilizer’s role in re-

ducing the yield gap and driving African agri-cultural development.”

New Campaign Promotes Accessto Fertilizers for African Farmers

New Police Commissioner

Wallenford Coffee

deal yet to closeIT HAS been a year since Michael Lee-

Chin's company took control of the assets of

Wallenford Coffee Company, but the Min-

istry of Agriculture disclosed on Thursday

that the deal is still pending closure.Discussions on how the operation will

be restructured are ongoing, but are in the

final stages, according to Permanent Secre-

tary Donovan Stanberry. Cabinet will have

to sign off on the final plan, he said.

One year ago, the Government an-

nounced the agreement to sell Wallenford to

AIC International Investments Limited

(AIIL) in a deal worth US$39.5 million (J$4

billion). AIIL is a wholly owned subsidiary

of Lee Chin's company, Portland Holdings

Inc.

Wallenford had accumulated losses of

$2.36 billion and net assets of $67.75 mil-

lion up to February 2013.

Of the US$39.5 million, Development

Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), which brokered the

sale, said US$16 million would flow to the

Jamaican Government, while AIIL would in-

ject capital of US$23.5 into the development

and expansion of Wallenford over four years.

Asked whether AIIL had paid over the

US$16 million for the estate, Stanberry saidthe payments were to be made according to

an agreed schedule, and were so far on track.

AIIL assumed control of the Wallenford

operations on September 11, 2013. The

transaction was set for closure in six months

thereafter, or by March 2014, but has been

delayed.

"We have now reached the stage where

we have satisfied all conditions for a defini-

tive agreement," Stanberry said.

Managing director of DBJ, Milverton

Reynolds, adds that the parties are now

working to close the deal in September. Gov-

ernment is assuming the coffee company's

debts held by the PetroCaribe Development

Fund, the EEC, and Ex-Im Bank, Reynolds

said.




The late Honourable Roger Clarke, Minister of

Agriculture and Fisheries, husband, father, and

friend, has touched many lives, including those of

the directors, management and staff of the Banana

Board.

His amicable demeanor, creative ideas and so-ciable orientation belied his strong work ethic, suc-

cesses and commitment to agriculture and the

farmers of his beloved country, Jamaica.

Minister Clarkeʼs upbringing in rural West-

moreland as progenitor to farmers logically piloted

his career choice to farming. His diligence and re-

solve are, however, what led him to become the

largest producer of sugar cane in St. Elizabeth and

the largest supplier of sugar cane to Appleton Estate.

Despite his affinity to sugar cane and its byprod-

ucts,

bananas found a place in his heart during his tenure

as Agriculture Minister, and he was keen to compe-

tently facilitate the recovery of the Banana Industry

from a number of setbacks.Hurricanes Dean and Gustav devastated the Ba-

nana Industry in 2007 and 2008, and resulted in the

suspension of almost all banana exports. Wreaking

further havoc on the island were Tropical Storm

Nicole in 2010 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, as they

flattened entire farms, and brought banana and plan-

tain production down to an all time low. In a drive to

rehabilitate the Banana Industry and reduce the

countryʼs subsequent multimillion US dollar impor-

tation bill for banana by-products, Minister Clarke

explored a number of options such as additional

stamp duty on imported banana and plantain by-

products, with proceeds to be used to develop the

Industry. He even went as far as to propose that pris-

oners be made to cultivate the land to help to facili-tate the growth of the Industry.

That particular idea did not come to fruition.

However, through careful planning and conversa-

tion with the Banana Board, farmers and other agri-

cultural bodies, Minister Clarke was able to

revitalize the Industry through the Banana Resusci-

tation Loan Programme with J$100M from the De-

velopment Bank of Jamaica.

Most admirably however, he facilitated the pre-

vious initiative of multi-million dollar bilateral

agreements with the European Union to implement

the European Union Banana Support Progarmme, as

well as the current four-year Jamaica Banana Ac-

companying Measures, upon which he just recentlylaunched a platform for increasing banana xports to

Grand Cayman, Canada the United Kingdom and

other markets.

Minister Clarke also supported the Banana

Boardʼs strategy of elevating production and pro-

ductivity by lowering the cost of production with the

technical innovations in disease control and intro-

ducing higher yielding, disease resistant and stress

tolerant banana varieties, which have been very suc-

cessful so far.

The Banana Board considers the passing of

Minister Roger Clarke to be a great loss, not only to

the Banana Industry and the agricultural sector, but

to all the citizens in a very grateful nation. His cheer-ful disposition, lightness of character and his as-

siduity will truly be missed. Our condolences to:

Mrs. Clarke, daughter Dollett, son Andrew, grand-

children, other family members, friends and con-

stituents.

May his soul rest in peace.

In Tribute to theHon Roger ClarkeJune 1940 - August 2014June 1940 - August 2014

The later Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Roger Clarke; Janet Conie, General manager of the Banana Board and Donovan Stanberry, Permanent Secretary discuss the resumption of ba-nana exports to Britain.

BANANA BOARD10 South Ave, Kingston Gardens, Kingston 4, Jamaica

Tel: (876) 922-5490; (876) 922-4327; Email: [email protected]

www.thebananaboard.org




HON ROGER HAROLD CLIFFORD CLARKE, JUNE 11, 1940 - AUGUST 28, 2014

Courtesy of JIS

The Hon. Roger Clarke, Minister of

Agriculture and Member of Parlia-

ment for Central Westmoreland, is a namesynonymous in Jamaica’s political and so-

cial spheres with agriculture.

He has had a rich upbringing in agri-culture and its practices from his younger

years to the present.Minister Clarke grew up in Glen Islay,

Westmoreland, where he helped his par-

ents and grandparents on their farm, whichproduced root crops and vegetables. He at-

tended the Mannings High School and

later went on to pursue extensive manage-ment training at the now defunct Jamaica

Industrial Development Corporation andHarbridge House in the United States in

the 1960’s.

He has worked extensively with sev-eral sugar estates in Jamaica for almost 30

years, which allowed him to interface withvarious members of the farming commu-

nity. Today, he owns his own farm that pro-

duces a myriad of crops and is the largestsugar cane producer in St. Elizabeth.

Minister Clarke has had a successful

political career, having won eight elections

comprising two Local Government and six

General Elections. In 1986 he was elected

Councillor for the Balaclava division in St.Elizabeth, and was nominated Mayor of

Black River and Chairman of the St. Eliz-

abeth Parish Council.

He was subsequently re-elected in the

1990 Local Government Election where he

continued as Mayor. Mr. Clarke alsoserved a four year period as President of

the Local Government Authorities from

1988 to 1991.

He went on to a bigger political stage in

1991 when he was elected Member of Par-liament for North East St. Elizabeth in a

by-election. Three months into the job, hewas promoted in early 1992 to State Min-

ister for Agriculture; a position he held for

three years and by 1995 he was appointedMinister of Local Government and Works.

By 1998, he was back in familiar terri-tory serving as Minister of Agriculture. He

served as Minister of Agriculture for some

ten years and during that period was one of the founding members of the Alliance of

Ministers of Agriculture for CARICOM,

and served as its chairman for many years.On January 6, 2012, Mr. Clarke was re-

appointed Minister of Agriculture andFisheries. He has identified as his top pri-

orities enhancing Jamaica’s food security,

to make farming profitable and rural de-velopment as areas of particular interest.

He has served in several capacities in

the People’s National Party and is currentlyVice President Emeritus since 2003.

Mr. Clarke died on August 28, 2014,leaving widow Sonia and two children.

The humble politician and farmer

Roger Clarke during an address in parliament





By Athaliah Reynolds-Baker

Members of the Upper Housepaid tribute to the late Min-

ister of Agriculture and Fisheries,

Roger Clarke, on September 12,remembering him as “an excep-tional Jamaican.”

Minister Clarke died on Au-gust 28, while returning to the is-land from the United States, where

he had gone for back surgery.Government Senator and

President of the Jamaica Agricul-

tural Society (JAS), Senator Nor-man Grant, said the lateAgriculture Minister will be re-

membered as a man completely

dedicated to public service.

Members of the Upper Housepaid tribute to the late Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Roger

Clarke, on September 12, remem-bering him as “an exceptional Ja-

maican”.Minister Clarke died on Au-

gust 28, while returning to the is-land from the United States, where

he had gone for back surgery.Government Senator and

President of the Jamaica Agricul-

tural Society (JAS), Senator Nor-man Grant, said the lateAgriculture Minister will be re-

membered as a man completelydedicated to public service, agri-

cultural expansion and integratedrural development. “He was a de-

fender of the powerless, a hardworking and committed Parlia-mentarian, stalwart, and of course,

an agricultural hero and a cham-pion farmer,” Mr. Grant said.

The JAS President said Ja-

maica has lost a true veteranleader, who worked for the greatergood of those he served – the

farmers and the people of Jamaica.Former Minister of Agricul-

ture and Opposition Senator,

Robert Montague, described Mr.Clarke as “a beloved brother”.

“Roger Clarke was larger thanlife. He was affable and funny, yethe was also an intellectual,” he

said.“Let us give thanks for his

life as we pay tribute, as we eulo-

gized him and speak to the treas-ured memories. Let us give thanks

for his life and the privilege of knowing him. “

“Roger, like all of us had his

faults, he was not perfect, he wasweighed and found wanting, hewas measured and found short,

but he, thank God, based on whathe said, of the changes he had

made in his life, I am thoroughlyconvinced and sincerely believe,that he has mounted on wings of

the eagle, has been placed in theangels arms and now rests withthe savior.”

Dedication to Agriculture and Rural Development

Norman Grant

JAS president

Robert Montague Former Minister of Agriculturepoints to Minister Clarke’s funeral programme

Farmers’ Almanac 2015

order your copies- 923-7471





HundredsBid Farewell toRoger Clarke

By Sharon Earle, JIS

Hundreds of persons paid their final respects to late Agriculture and Fisheries Min-

ister, Roger Clarke, during Saturday’s (September 13) Official Funeral Service

held at St. George’s Anglican Church, in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

Governor-General, Patrick Allen, who read the First Lesson; Prime Minister,

Portia Simpson Miller, who paid tribute to her former Cabinet colleague; and Oppo-

sition Leader, Andrew Holness, who read the Second Lesson, headed persons from a

wide cross-section of the society, and overseas, who attended, to lend support to the

late Parliamentarian’s family, and bid farewell to one of Jamaica’s political stalwarts.

Others dignitaries attending included: former Prime Ministers P.J. Patterson,

and Bruce Golding; Senate President, Floyd Morris; Government Ministers from Ja-

maica and overseas, as well as members of the Diplomatic Corps.

Anglican Suffragan Bishop of Kingston, Robert Thompson, headed the nine

clergymen officiating at the service. They included Clarke’s former Cabinet col-

league, current Education Minister, Ronald Thwaites.

In her tribute, Simpson Miller hailed Mr. Clarke hailed as “the people’s friend

and a one of a kind politician…..the farmer’s Minister… and exemplary son of the

soil.”

The Prime Minister recounted fond memories of the man whom she said had an

embedded vision of a new Jamaica, and spent his years in public life doing all he

could to assist in fulfilling that dream.

Patterson eulogized Clarke as one who proved to be even larger in death than

life, based on the overwhelming outpouring of responses and sentiments expressed

by well wishers.

“The Cabinet has lost the wisdom of one who fully understood the psyche of the

common man. He is a fine example of the coherent, integrated life in which personal

attributes, life history, skills, opportunity, and a decision to give political service have

all come together to uplift the Jamaican people,” the former Prime Minister said.In their tribute, Clarke’s brother, Winston Clarke, and daughter-in-law, Helene

Whitehorne-Clarke, reminisced on the late Minister’s love for family and country.

They recalled his humorous canters, kindness, discipline, and his commitment to

family.

Tributes were also paid by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture

and Fisheries, Donovan Stanberry; Councillor Paul Wilson of the Westmoreland

Parish Council; Mayor of Black River, St. Elizabeth, Councillor Everton Fisher; Op-

position Member of Parliament, Karl Samuda; and Water, Land, Environment, and

Climate Change Minister, Robert Pickersgill, in his capacity as Chairman of the Peo-

ple’s National Party (PNP), of which Clarke was a member.

In his sermon, Pastor of the Gregory Park Baptist Church in St. Catherine, Karl

Henlin, encouraged Clarke’s family and the wider congregation to trust in God re-

gardless of prevailing or impending uncertainties and challenges.

Clarke, who was 74 years old at the time of his passing, died on Thursday Au-

gust 28 in the United States where he underwent successful back surgery.

He fell ill at Miami International Airport as he awaited a home-bound flight, and

later died in a Florida hospital where he was admitted, from what medical personnel

indicated was a heart attack.

Clarke, who also served as Mayor of Black River as well as Member of Parlia-

ment for North East St. Elizabeth and Central Westmoreland, is the second govern-

ment minister to die while in office during Jamaica’s post independent era, followingPrime Minister Donald Sangster, in 1967.

Jamaica has lostone of its finest sons

Opposition Spokesman on Agri-

culture, Mr. William JC

Hutchinson, says: "With Roger's

passing, Jamaica has lost one of its

finest sons. Roger Clarke was a

champion of the agricultural sector

and contributed significantly to its

development, both as Minister and

as a farmer in his own right."

"It was a pleasure working

with Roger over the years. While

we had differing views on a number

of issues, we always enjoyed a good

working relationship." Mr. Hutchin-

son went on to say that MinisterClarke was one of those persons

who was always approachable and

solutions oriented.

Mr. Hutchinson said: "Roger

has made a significant contribution

to the Jamaican political process,

and his love for the Jamaican peo-

ple could never be questioned.”

Canute Saddler (2nd l), his wife and otheragriculturalists at Roger Clarke’s funeral

A ‘one of a kind’

politicianPrime Minister Portia Simpson

Miller noted that Mr. Clarke

distinguished himself as an out-

standing parliamentarian, a repre-

sentative of the people, who was

sincere and humble, a Minister of

Government par excellence, and a“one of a kind” politician.

She noted further that his con-

tributions to the House were always

informative, insightful and ground

breaking.

“We remember the life and

service of an important pillar of the

Government of Jamaica. His self-less service to the people reminds

me that Roger never asked what his

country could do for him. Roger

was always eager to know what he

could do for Jamaica and for the Ja-

maican people,” Mrs. SimpsonMiller said.

She noted that Mr. Clarke

brought his immense theoretical

knowledge and unrivalled practical

understanding to the art of gover-

nance.

A keen advocatefor his constituents

Opposition Leader, Andrew

Holness, marks the passing of

Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke

with great regret and sadness.

Mr. Holness says: "The politi-

cal landscape in Jamaica has lost

one of its finest servants with the

passing of Minister Clarke. He was

a man who dedicated himself to

serving the people of Jamaica, the

agriculture sector in particular, and

he did so in a commendable man-

ner.”

"I have many fond personal

memories of Minister Clarke, both

inside and outside Gordon House.

Roger, quite frankly, was the most

affable politician known to me. It

was through his incredible wit and

humour that he was able to bring us

back to humanity and civility in

even the most contentious situa-

tions.”

PORTIA SIMPSON MILLER, PRIME MINISTER

ANDREW HOLNESS, OPPOSITION LEADER

He demonstratedleadership

On behalf of the Government

and people of the United States

we express sincere condolences to

Minister Clarke’s family, and thegovernment and people of Jamaica.

Minister Clarke led Jamaica’s

agricultural sector with experience,

deep knowledge and awareness of a

field that he loved. The U.S. De-

partment of Agriculture and the

United States Agency for Interna-

tional Development (USAID/Ja-

maica) worked very closely with

Minister Clarke and his team.

We are deeply saddened to

learn of the sudden passing of Ja-

maica’s Minister of Agriculture and

Fisheries, Roger Clarke. On behalf

of the Government and people of

the United States we express sin-

cere condolences to Minister

Clarke’s family, and the govern-

ment and people of Jamaica.

JC HUTCHINSON - OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN ON AGRICULTURE

CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES, U.S. EMBASSY KINGSTON

An undying love

for the peopleIt is with shock and sadness that I

learnt of the recent passing of the

Honourable Roger Clarke, Minis-

ter of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Roger Clarke had an undying

love for the people of Jamaica and

demonstrated this through his

stewardship as Councillor of the

Balaclava Division and later as

Mayor of Black River.

This love for country and peo-

ple also motivated his effective

service as Member of Parliament,

Minister of Local Government andMinister of Agriculture, as well as

Vice President of his party.

Mr. Clarke will be greatly

missed by all of us who will for-

ever remember his winsome per-

sonality, ready wit, humility and

kindheartedness. We shall always

recall his commitment to building

agriculture and his conviction that

the sector could be the key to un-

lock economic opportunities for

Jamaica.

PATRICK ALLEN, GOVERNOR-GENERAL




HON ROGER CLARKE - JUNE 11, 1940 - AUGUST 28, 2014

Homage to a dear colleague and

friend, Hon. Roger Clarke, C.D. MP

It was with deep sadness that the Board of Directors and staff of the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB), Ministry of

Agriculture and Fisheries learnt of the death of the Hon. Minister, Roger Clarke, a stalwart Minister of the Ministry of Agri-

culture and Fisheries.

His leadership and guidance provided direction that emphasized the practical developmental roles of the JDDB. Subse-

quently, he nurtured the continued development of the Board to the institution it is today. Minister Clarke had a vision to widen

the remit of the Board to that of a Livestock Board; determination of the feasibility of so doing was underway at the time of his

passing. The Board and Jamaica’s dairy farmers will be eternally grateful to Minister Clarke’s efforts in supporting the Board

and its continued evolution.His love for the community of farmers in Jamaica and the agricultural sector generally, is undeniable. This is confirmed by

the many honours and accolades conferred on him and the numerous accomplishments attributed to him, by the practitioners

and institutions within the sector. A man of the soil, a jovial, charming and unpretentious patriot of the nation, Minister Clarke’s

spirit will continue to live on in our hearts, with his life being a paradigm worthy of emulation.

We have lost a friend and colleague who always worked towards the common goal of improving Jamaica’s agriculture. Hewas a visionary, philosopher, friend, guide and sage to the many people whose lives and careers he influenced, and a man of

commitment to his mission and vision. We will all miss Minister Clarke.

To the family, friends and colleagues of Minister Clarke, we express our deepest sympathy.

We share in your loss, hoping that you will find the strength to overcome this trying period of bereavement.

May his soul rest in peace and light perpetually shine upon him!

A Tribute from the Jamaica Dairy Development Board

The Board of Directors and Staff

Jamaica Dairy Development Board

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries

Hope Gardens, Kingston 6

Tel. # 618-7107

Fax # 977-9230



12 • THE AGRICULTURALIST OCTOBER 2014 WWW THEAGRICULTURALIST COM

Remembering HON ROGER CLARKE, CD

JUNE 1940 - AUGUST 2014

T he management and staff of Isratech Jamaica Limited

wish to express their sincere condolences to the family,

friends, farmers and colleagues of the late Hon Roger

Clarke. Mr Clarke was indeed a true friend of the farmers

and we salute him for his outstanding contribution to thegrowth and development of Jamaican agriculture.

May his soul rest in peace!




______________________________________________________________________________

The members, management and staff of the All Island Banana Growers Association Limitedare deeply saddened by the passing of our Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon Roger Clarke.

He was a true friend of the banana farmers and we will always cherish his genuinededication and commitment to the development of the banana industry.

WALK GOOD OUR FRIEND!

ALL ISLAND BANANA GROWERS ASSOCIATION LTD.10 South Avenue, Kingston 4

922-5497 • [email protected] • www.iabga.info

The late Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Roger Clarke (centre, seated), and Head, European

Union (EU) Delegation in Jamaica, Ambassador Paola Amadei (right, seated), exchange signed copies

of the $660 million (€4.73 million) EU-funded Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) contract, at

Tuesday’s (November 12) signing ceremony at the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry, Hope Gardens,

in St. Andrew. Over 1,400 banana and plantain farmers will benefit from provisions under the four-

year funding programme.

A true friend of the banana farmers!




IN TRIBUTE TO

HON ROGER CLARKE JUNE 1940 - AUGUST 2014

“The relationship between agriculture and bauxite

mining had special meaning to him. He saw both

industries working together in a combined effort

to provide maximum benefits for farmers as wellas those who mined the lands. As such, he always

valued the extraordinary efforts made to

rehabilitate and utilize mined out lands

for agricultural use”

In one of his last partnership ventures with No-

randa Jamaica Bauxite Partners the Hon. Roger

Clarke cuts the ribbon on February 21, 2014, to

mark the official open ing of a greenhouse in the

Noranda greenhouse technology programme, and

the launch of an industry wide greenhouse ex-

pansion project.

the agriculturalist - october 2014

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