Drought!!

My posh farm is in serious trouble. There isn’t enough water to maintain the crops. I am out of recycled water (you can only do so much and no more laundry) and the Ministry has now made it illegal to attach a hose to your pipe. This came in last weekend’s paper (The Gleaner) and I am sure they did not include my farm in the numbers 🙂

16,000 farmers affected by drought, says Agricultural Society

Published: Saturday August 2, 2014 | 10:23 am

The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) says 16,000 farmers have been affected and close to a billion dollars lost, in the current drought affecting Jamaica.

JAS president, Senator Norman Grant, provided the statistics just before yesterday’s launch of the sixty second annual agriculture and industrial show at the Denbigh Show Ground in May Pen, Clarendon.

He says domestic food production, which was set for exponential expansion in 2014, has fallen sharply in the second quarter of this year.

The Senator says he remains optimistic that the sector will rebound and avoid a major crisis.

In endorsing the government’s 30 million dollar support programme, Grant says through the intervention, farmers are able to get water and new crops.

In an update last week, acting Agriculture Minister, Derrick Kellier, said there is no need for panic about a possible food shortage.

Kellier said there is a sufficient supply of local staples such as tubers, bananas and plantains.

He added that while 1,600 hectares of crops and pastures valued over $900 million has been lost to drought or fire, the total area of arable land under production is approximately 200,000 hectares.