Jamaican Farmers to Plant 70 Hectares of Irish Potato
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, said that emphasis will be placed on the Irish potato belts of New Works, Content, Holly Hill, Dillion Big Woods and Darliston.
The Ministry is targeting the planting of 1,200 hectares of the crop across all production areas of the country for 2016/17. This is expected to yield 15 million kilograms of Irish potatoes to meet national demand.
The national Irish potato programme is being undertaken at a cost of $1.1 billion, with direct cash injection of $48.3 million from the Ministry, and training and technical support valued at over $700 million.
Through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), 2,000 farmers will benefit from training, field visits and the monitoring of production areas.
source: jis.gov.jm
