JAS launches red peas-planting programme

Food For the Poor (FFP) last Wednesday donated 31,500 pounds of red pinto peas to the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) to be distributed to farmers across the island involved in its national red peas-planting campaign. The peas which have been treated with chemicals are for planting and are not fit for human consumption.

The donation took place at the charity organisation's Ellerslie Pen head office in Spanish Town, St Catherine, ahead of the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the umbrella farmers' group.

FFP already provides assistance to small farmers through training and provision of seeds, farm tools, and other supplies, but by partnering with the JAS will seek to ramp up its assistance to the materially poor and poor and in spirit.

With the JAS having membership of 230,000 farmers, the FFP which has access to farm material including seeds, fertiliser equipment, training and housing which it provides at no cost to beneficiaries, is looking to tap into its distribution network in order to reach more needy Jamaicans. It wants to empower small farmers to move beyond subsistence farming.

Jacqueline Johnson, executive director of FFP Jamaica, told the launch: "FFP has always been mindful that we cannot grow our economy and improve the quality of life for people, if we are not producing most of the food we consume. It is our hope that this donation to the JAS which will be distributed islandwide, will help to increase the quantity and quality of the peas we produce."

JAS President Norman Grant said the donation which is valued at US$26,000 fits well into its national red peas-planting programme launched in September 2012 and seeks to take a big bite out of the annual food import bill which is estimated to be just under US$1 billion.

It will seek to establish 1,000 acres of red peas in 13 parishes, with 4,560 pounds already distributed to 180 farmers across the island. Once production has started, beneficiaries will be required to return 10 per cent of the yield from their first crop to the JAS to support its ongoing revolving scheme.

The rest of the peas produced by the farmer will be purchased by the central marketing arm of the JAS, the Jamaica Agriculture Society Commercial Enterprise Limited. These will be packaged, labelled and sold on the domestic market in the first phase, with the export market also targetted once the programme is in full swing.