Hanover farmers project growth in 2022

WESTERN BUREAU:

DESPITE THE ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic across the island and across the varying sectors of the economy over the last two years, the over 8,000 farmers in Hanover are hoping to improve their production levels for 2022 over the year 2021.

“We see a positive trend as far as how agricultural production went in Hanover in 2021 over the year 2020, and in 2022 we are hopeful of further increases in production, as some of the major markets have basically been reopened, both for exports and the domestic, as in the hotel sector, even though they are not back at full capacity but some amount of purchasing is taking place,” Aston King, deputy parish manager for the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in Hanover, told The Gleaner during an interview.

King noted that there were 1,753 hectares of land planted in agricultural crops in the parish in 2021, as against 1,710 hectares in 2020. This, he said, represented a moderate increase in the area of land planted, adding that it is hoped that an even larger increase will take place in 2022.

He named crops such as yellow and Lucea yams, hot pepper, dasheen, Irish potato, pineapples and vegetables as some of the main ones planted in the parish.

King pointed to several setbacks during 2021 which had adverse effects on the farming community in the parish, which led to a 5.2 per cent decrease in crops reaped for the year compared to 2020.

Adverse weather conditions such as tropical weather systems Grace and Ida, along with the ongoing pandemic, topped the list of issues causing setbacks during the year.

Priority crops

“The Ministry of Agriculture continues to assist farmers in the parish, concentrating on the priority crops which are hot peppers, dasheen, yams, Irish potatoes and pineapples, also assisting with some drip irrigation systems to help their production during the dry periods,” he stated.

He added that both members of parliament in the parish, Tamika Davis and Dave Brown, have been working very closely with his office through their Community Development Fund and production incentive programmes, through which farmers are getting assistance with seedlings and other agricultural inputs.

King expressed hope that the appointment of a new minister of agriculture and fisheries, Pearnel Charles Jr, will lead to improvements.

“We have just received news of a new minister. Hopefully, that will positively impact our outlook for agriculture in the parish, with the new minister bringing in some new ideas and some improved inputs into the system,” he said.

Referencing areas that can negatively impact agricultural development in the parish, King wants the level of praedial larceny reduced, improvements to the COVID-19 situation, tolerable climatic conditions throughout the year, plus continued advances within the hotel sector, which is a significant area for marketing agricultural products.

Timothy Brown, a vegetable farmer, told The Gleaner that the technical and other assistance provided by RADA has been of great help to him and many others in his area.

“We have been holding our own through thick and thin and we sincerely hope that this year will treat us better than the last two, as we plan to step up our game to make up for time and money lost,” said Brown.