St Mary Agri-Expo ready to excite after two-year break
Published:Friday | April 8, 2022 | 12:09 AMChristopher Serju/Senior Gleaner Writer
Despite having less than a month to plan and execute this year’s staging of the annual St Mary Agri-Expo following an announcement last month by Agriculture Minister Pearnel Charles Jr that agricultural shows would be returning, the organisers are promising to deliver a top-quality event on Easter Monday, April 18.
President of the St Mary Association of Branch Societies (ABS) of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Fabian Rhule, told The Gleaner that preparations are in high gear with an emphasis on public health safety, following a two-year hiatus as a result of the pandemic.
Since the announcement late last month, the planning committee has been busy meeting with all stakeholders, including the St Mary Municipal Corporation, the health department, the police, the fire department, the National Water Commission, and the Jamaica Public Service as well as advertisers and individuals and organisations seeking to rent booths.
There has been some falloff in advertising support, given the short response time, but long-time supporter the Jamaica Producers Group and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries have partnered with the organisers to ensure that the show is a resounding success, Rhule said.
“Jamaica Producers Group, through St Mary Banana, is stepping up for us where other sponsors might not be able to do it and we appreciate their support, along with that from the ministry, which has really helped us cover a lot of ground – a lot of bills that we have to clear,” Rhule admitted.
The livestock parade, which is always a crowd-pleaser, is on track for a stellar showing with the participation of the Minard Estate, which is based in Brown’s Town, St Ann.
“Livestock is looking good. We are working with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, whose operatives are in the field arranging the finest display of small ruminants. Minard reached out to us the day of the announcement to ask if they should carry the same number of animals, and we have confirmed with them. So we are pushing really hard and working overtime to make sure that the show is a success,” Rhule said.
And the response has been very good.
“We have some government agencies reaching out to us that we have never done business with ... . We are really happy for that support also. So far, we have 58 exhibitors between companies and individuals, and all of our restaurants, which is maybe about 18, are all booked out,” he told The Gleaner.
Beenie Man is set to headline the entertainment package, with Jah Vinci also down to perform when the event gets under way at the Gray’s Inn Showground in Annotto Bay, St Mary, on Easter Monday.