Water at last

WESTERN BUREAU:

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green says farmers in Essex Valley, St Elizabeth, should begin receiving irrigation water by the end of September, as the Government moves to complete a long-running project aimed at providing a reliable water supply to one of Jamaica’s major farming belts.

Green said the irrigation system was now about 98 per cent complete and that, despite a problem encountered with one of five wells, the Government expects to begin supplying water to farmers before the end of the month.

“What I can guarantee you is that by the end of September, even before we do an official launch, by the end of September, some farmers in this area will start getting water from,” Green said.

He was speaking at the handover of facilities and agricultural equipment at the Essex Valley Agro-Economic Zone in St Elizabeth, where he outlined the Government’s plans to position the area as a major centre for climate-resilient agricultural production.

Green said the pipes had already been laid and pumps installed in all five wells, with four performing well during testing.

“As you know, we laid the pipes a long time ago. We’ve already put in the pumps in all of the five wells. We would have already tested them. Four did extremely well,” he said.

However, he said a problem with the fifth well was being addressed and should be resolved within approximately two weeks.

“In one of them, we fall under the challenge, and we’re working now to treat with that challenge, and we expect another two weeks or so, that challenge will be dealt with,” Green said.

DESIST FROM TAMPERING

The minister urged farmers not to interfere with the irrigation infrastructure while testing and commissioning are under way, warning that tampering could create problems with the contractor and delay completion.

“What I want to say to the farmers, do not now try to extract water from the system. We are still in the testing phase. The project is still under contract,” he said.

“So let us leave it alone until it is handed over to us, or we may be in challenges,” he said, warning that farmers would have to wait until the system was formally handed over to the Government before tapping into the network.

The Essex Valley irrigation development is part of a wider agricultural investment programme intended to reduce farmers’ dependence on rainfall and improve production.

According to the Government, the Essex Valley Irrigation Infrastructure Development Programme is expected to expand the area under formal irrigation by 50 per cent and raise crop yields in the area to at least 90 per cent. The programme includes the construction of wells and supporting agricultural infrastructure.

The project, which began in 2017, has received funding from the Government of Jamaica and the Caribbean Development Bank. By December 2025, eight wells had been drilled, five of which produced water, while four pump houses, photovoltaic systems and irrigation pipelines had been completed.

Green said the Government’s investment was not limited to putting water into the fields.

“We know in this new climate reality, it is very difficult for all farmers to farm if they don’t have access to a reliable source of water, and that is why this project, at its core, is invested in irrigation,” he said.

However, he stressed that irrigation was only one component of the agricultural transformation planned for Essex Valley.

“Irrigation alone is not the answer; it is part of the solution, but not the full solution.”

The minister pointed to the construction of farm roads, storage and agro-processing facilities, and the establishment of an agricultural services hub in the Essex Valley Agro-Economic Zone.

“As you farm and you think about markets, you have to think about storage,” Green said.

The Government formally handed over the $9.4-billion Essex Valley Agro-Processing Facility and Administrative Building in February. The complex includes an agro-processing facility and an administrative hub for agencies including Agro-Investment Corporation, Rural Agricultural Development Authority and the National Irrigation Commission.

Green said the infrastructure was being developed as part of a deliberate strategy to transform agriculture.

“Essex Valley is the hallmark project around that vision of transformation,” he said.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com

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