The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has pledged an overhaul of Jamaica’s agricultural sector, making that reform a central plank for social and economic development.

Responding to a range of issues ranging from inadequate farming extension services and praedial larceny to inaccessibility to loans from PC Banks and marketing challenges, Opposition Leader Mark Golding criticised the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) as an underperforming organisation.

“Agencies that were established like RADA are not delivering what the farmers need to be effective, so we need to reprogramme these things to make sure that they have the right leadership and the right governance structures in place and support them with the necessary resources, treating agriculture as the priority it needs to be,” Golding said at a forum with farmers in Guy’s Hill, St Catherine, Wednesday.

The opposition leader also chastised the Holness administration for failing to rein in the theft of produce – a lament rife across swathes of farmland.

Golding wants tougher fines as a deterrent.

“It is a simple thing, and it doesn’t cost any money to put those offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act so that anyone who steals from farmers can have their assets seized, and the money goes back to compensate farmers,” Golding asserted.

Praedial larceny imposes an estimated $6-billion annual toll on farmers in Jamaica.

The opposition leader also hinted at a revival of the Agricultural Marketing Corporation model introduced in the 1970s to give farmers an outlet to market produce.

The noticeable absence of Irish potato among the produce on display was a source of concern for Lothan Cousins, the opposition spokesman on agriculture.

“A few years ago, Guy’s Hill was the main producer of Irish potato, and today, we are not seeing any on display,” said Cousins.

“It speaks volumes as to what has gone wrong,” he said, decrying US$2 million in Irish potato imports in 2021.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20220506/golding-slams-rada-failing-farmers