Lorna Sellers reaping sweet pepper from her farm in Top Hill, south St. Elizabeth - Photo by George Henry
SMALL-SCALE CITRUS farmers who register with the Agricultural Business Information System (ABIS) by the end of March 2005 will benefit from a $10 million Special Assistance Programme (SAP), scheduled to commence in April.
Dr. Florence Young, coordinator of the Citrus Replanting Project, explained that the SAP is aimed at farmers who cultivate less than one hectare (between two and five acres) of citrus, and who have been unable to access loans under the Citrus Replanting Project, mainly due to a lack of adequate collateral. Against this background, she stated that the SAP would be administered as a grant scheme and would facilitate the distribution of certified, disease-free seedlings and fertilisers to farmers.
FARMERS TO GET COUPONS
"Qualified farmers will be provided with coupons, which will be redeemable only at registered nurseries in the case of certified plants, and at designated farm stores for fertilisers," she said.
In an effort to fast-track the registration process and to facilitate the timely implementation of the SAP, the Project Implementation Unit of the Citrus Replanting Project in the Ministry of Agricul-ture, is collaborating with the Rural Agricultural Develop-ment Authority (RADA), which is responsible for overseeing ABIS's operation and registration of key agricultural stakeholders, including farmers.
REGISTRATION PROGRAMME
Dr. Young is also urging medium and large-scale citrus farmers to get registered, as this information would assist in the management of the project in developing future programmes for their benefit. This registration process would provide relevant information, such as the number of citrus farmers, the size of their holdings and the total area of land under cultivation.
All citrus farmers should contact their RADA extension officer, or visit the nearest RADA parish office to get registered.
ABIS was developed by RADA to provide information on agricultural production and available markets, primarily for the benefit of stakeholders in the sector.
