'Government has failed us' - South Trelawny farmers lament lack of state support

Mark Titus, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Stakeholders in the farming communities of South Trelawny have given the Government a failing grade for the support given to their efforts to increase production, and improve their economy.

"Nothing happens for us as farmers in terms of support," said Silbert Buchanan, who has been farming for four decades. "I hear that we can get more out of our crop but, apart from Mr (Hugh) Dixon, nobody has made an effort. All we get from the (agriculture) ministry is talk."

South Trelawny produces 70 per cent of the yam exported annually, which stood at 80,531 and 15,289 tonnes for yellow and negro yams, respectively, in 2009. The region is also the largest agricultural producer behind the parish of St Elizabeth.

But Robert Montague, minister of agriculture and fisheries, believes that the farmers must also invest in their own development.

"Government is required to provide a minimum network of extension officers, and has doubled the number since 2007, but even that is not adequate because the numbers are showing that we have an average of 800 farmers to one extension officer," he said. "But equally, as it is practised internationally, industries must bring in extension officers to help themselves."

According to Montague, obtaining specialised assistance is the responsibility of sectoral players, with the Government providing support.

"The Government cannot do everything," he said. "They need to carry some of the weight, because they enjoy the profit so they, too, must reinvest in themselves."

In 2007, some 60 new Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) extension officers were added to the entity.

Need for technical support

Then Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said the move was in response to the fact that farmers were neither formally trained nor privy to technical support.

"To survive, they have to be kept abreast of the latest best practices and cutting-edge technology. The officers will provide this and some will also be exposing the farmers to more efficient marketing techniques," he said then. "The ripple effect of these consultations will be to increase production, move from mere subsistence farming to serious wealth creation and, ultimately, increase Jamaica's capability to provide its own food."

Carlton Buckley began farming at age 17, with 400 heads of yam. He has expanded his farm to eight acres, and now also grows coffee and banana. He understands the demand for RADA extension officers, but thinks it is more important for unity among the farmers in order to address the issues affecting them.

"I have never been perturbed about the lack of persons from the Government to support us, it is impossible for them to deal with all of us," he told Western Focus. "What we need to do is to come together as farmers. I am more concerned about the price that we are selling our produce for."

Agricultural economist Hugh Dixon, who is also executive director of South Trelawny Environmental Agency, has implemented a number of programmes to assist the farmers. These include the training of some 2,000 farmers in vegetative soil conservation between 1996 and 2001, and the staging of field days at selected farms, and water fora to address the challenges being experienced to acquire the precious commodity.

"The work we do, in part, is the filling of the gap that is the responsibility of other entities, either because their mandate has not been adjusted over time to look at the broader picture," said Dixon.

"There is no secondary product. It's all primary production -yams, yams and more yams. But the secondary industry of processing, manufacturing and value-added, there is none here. It's all primary production and this does not allow growth."

Mandate needs revision

According to Dixon, the role of agriculture-related entities needs to be revised.

"RADA and the ministry have good intentions but it does not translate on the ground and that is because I think their mandates need some rethought."

Junior Rode, whose crop includes papaya, coffee, yam and pepper, said he has benefited from the intervention of RADA officers.

"I have succeeded in implementing a new way of fertilising my crop using biostimulants with a fertiliser applicator, which cost about $20,000 and has a lifespan of about 10 years," he said. "I have also been using the digi lab, which allows you to analyse and diagnose any suspicious agent on your plant."

He added: "To be fair, RADA has done some work. Where it is weak is in its marketing, and it might not respond to one's request as quickly as one would like, but it also has its challenges."

Photos by Mark Titus