Denbigh 2018 | New fertiliser helping to improve peanut yield in St Elizabeth

Cecelia Campbell, Gleaner Writer

In the southern parish of St Elizabeth, it has been a struggle for peanut farmers saddled by low yield over the past few years.

But Donnaree Rowe, the Rural Agriculture Development Authority (RADA) extension officer for Santa Cruz says things are now improving since the introduction of fertipeanut, a specially designed fertiliser that helps to correct some of the nutritional imbalances in the soil.

Fertipeanut is the result of a collaboration with Fersan manufacturers and RADA.  

St Elizabeth produces roughly 70 per cent of the peanut grown in Jamaica.

Rowe said farmers are encouraged to engage Fersan to conduct soil sampling and analyse the nutrients before using fertipeanut.

"There are three critical things that are now affecting peanut production and they are iron, boron and magnesium deficiencies," she said.

With the dry season facing the country, Rowe said there is increased challenge for peanut production.

On Saturday, Agriculture Minister Audley Shaw said it was time to increase consumption of peanut produced in Jamaica.

"Some countries don’t even grow certain products, they import from the United States. Peanut is an example, imported from the United States, sprinkle a little salt on it in a member country and get it duty-free into Jamaica and peanuts growing in St Elizabeth can’t sell…something wrong with that, something not right with that,” he said.

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