THE EDITOR, Sir:
IN RECENT news, it was revealed that doctors are implanting microchips in the bodies of some persons to help them deal with a particular illness. The cost of each chip was US$200. It is intriguing the way that science and technology has evolved. This type of technology needs to be used in agriculture where one of the greatest disincentives is praedial larceny.
Innovative ways have to be found to warn potential thieves that there is a strong possibility they will be caught. If microchips could be safely implanted into the bodies of animals and the use of tracking technology is employed, there may be some success in stemming praedial larceny.
The fact is that at US$200 per chip and the cost of tracking technology, one might shy away from such fanciful ideas. However, if communities in which praedial larceny is rampant are targeted, the results could be highly effective in the long term.
It may be worth the while for government and the private sector to engage the use of modern technology in the agricultural sector.
I am, etc.,
MARK A. CLARKE
makeis@yahoo.com
Stony Hill P.O.
Via Go-Jamaica
