Boom in local crops for first quarter, says Tufton

THE MINISTER of Agriculture is reporting record production in domestic crops for the first three months of the year.

Minister Christopher Tufton made the announcement yesterday during a press conference held at his Hope Gardens office in St Andrew.

He said there was a 24.4 per cent increase in domestic crops. Figures presented by Tufton indicate vegetable production increased by 20,000 tonnes, a whopping 55 per cent increase over the last quarter.

Lettuce production, at 1,801 tonnes, recorded a 118 per cent increase. Some 3,534 tonnes of tomato, an 82 per cent increase, was produced last quarter, and 1,512 tonnes of cucumber, or a 67 per cent increase, was produced.

Total production in 2011 rose to 147,378 tonnes, the highest production figure for a quarter since 1999 when local farmers produced 159,118 tonnes of food crops, well above the 118,424 tonnes produced for the corresponding period last year.

While all parishes recorded increased production for the quarter, St Elizabeth, with 19.8 per cent, Manchester, with 17 per cent, and Trelawny, with 14 per cent were the leading areas.

There was, however, a 14 per cent decrease in traditional crops over the period.

Tufton said while most traditional crops are still recovering from the impact of Tropical Storm Nicole, which hit the island last year, cocoa production made a significant recovery, with production moving from 67 tonnes in 2010 to 189 tonnes for the first quarter of 2011.

Meanwhile, the agriculture minister said a review of farmers' markets is under way. He said the ministry is seeking to expand and make it a more structured component of the marketing system.

Initially implemented as a quick-fix response to vegetable glut, Tufton said the farmers' market has found favour with farmers and consumers, and the plan is to see how it can be made a feature of the landscape without hurting the traditional markets.

Tufton said two million pounds of produce valued at $106 million was sold through the farmers' markets held from late January until the last one on April 20. He said an estimated 404 registered farmers and 32,500 customers participated in the venture.