Marlene McPherson, Gleaner Writer
THOMPSON - PHOTO BY MARLENE MCPHERSON
LYSSONS, St. Thomas:
THE RURAL Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in St. Thomas, with the assistance of farm stores in the parish, is reporting success in getting farmers to register on the new computerised registration system - the Agricultural Business Information System (ABIS).
"More farmers are now complying to the Agricultural Business Information System (ABIS) farmer registration programme as some farm stores are helping to enforce the need for registration," said Peter Thompson, the deputy parish manager of RADA's St. Thomas office.
PURCHASES RESTRICTED
He explained that farm store owners have been restricting the sale of certain chemicals such as Actora - a chemical used to control worms, caterpillars and aphids - to farmers not registered with ABIS. "Sometimes the farmers are admonished (and) in some instances they are advised to go and register then return to purchase the needed item," Mr. Thompson explained. Approximately 5,000 farmers in the parish have already been registered. About 3,200 have so far been verified.
The registration drive forms part of the Ministry of Agricul-ture and Lands' thrust to establish a centralised database of farmers on the island. This is to be used as the platform of the anti-praedial larceny drive that will employ the use of receipt books.
A new legislation, which came into effect last year, now requires each farmer to issue receipts to buyers of agricultural produce. The receipt books are only available through the JAS and accessible only to farmers registered on the system.
