'Rebrand agro sector, parks'
Published:Friday | May 9, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter
CALLING FOR a rebranding of Jamaica's agriculture sector, Opposition spokesman on agriculture J.C. Hutchinson has said the Government should reactivate farmers' organisations and establish an agricultural complex at Ebony Park in Clarendon.
Describing it as the "real agro park", Hutchinson said the complex should be built with a grading and packaging house, a processing house, an abattoir, a cold storage facility, a drying house, a farm store, a value-added centre and a meat outlet.
In his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Gordon House on Wednesday, Hutchinson suggested that funding for the agro park could be taken from the allocation of $640 million set aside for drainage, roadways and packaging houses for 5,000 farmers on the various agro parks set up by the ministry.
He said his concept of an agro park in Ebony Park would be strategically placed with the logistics hub planned for that section of the island. "It would allow for easy access in the exportation of goods from the centre." He said it would cater to the 250,000 farmers islandwide, but mainly for farmers in St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Manchester, Clarendon and St Catherine.
The Opposition spokesman estimated that it would cost about $160 million to set up the complex.
No spoilt produce
Commenting on the benefits that will accrue from the proposed Ebony Park complex, the Opposition spokesman cited a ready and reliable market for all agricultural produce. "No product would be left to spoil in the field," he added.
Hutchinson said the facility would provide guaranteed price for the farmers' produce, lessen the cost of produce to the consumer by eliminating the middle man and provide farmers with cheaper input.
According to Hutchinson, his concept of an agro park would eliminate fluctuation of prices to the consumer, and provide a value-added centre for commercial production of products.