Agriculture Ministry developing plan to cushion impact of price increases

With the continued increase in feed and fertiliser prices, the Ministry of Agriculture says it has intensified discussions with key stakeholders with a view towards developing a plan to reduce the impact on farmers.

The increases come in the wake of ongoing supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine.

With Russia and Belarus being major suppliers of potassium, one element of the fertilisers that are manufactured in Jamaica, the Ministry says it is aware of efforts being made by major suppliers to source fertiliser from other countries.

In the interim, the Ministry says it will continue to provide assistance to small farmers through its Production and Productivity Programme in order to cushion the effects of this global challenge.

The agriculture ministry also says that it preparing a list of items to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance for consideration for removal of other duties on imported items that are necessary for the enhancement of agricultural production and productivity.

Currently, farmers receive GCT relief on a number of inputs including fertiliser (except urea) and feeds.

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