Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

Participants prepare food for the annual agricultural expo. - Photos by Nedburn Thaffe

THE FUTURE of agriculture in St Mary is secure. Or that's how it seemed at the 22nd staging of the St Mary agriculture expo, held at Gray's Inn, Annotto Bay, on Sunday and Easter Monday. Food was the order of the day, as hundreds of farmers came out to showcase their produce and livestock.

From ground produce such as yams, cocoas, potatoes, scallion, green peppers to mouth-watering fruits, such as mangoes, naseberries, oranges, apples and coconuts, patrons took advantage of the many bargains available at the expo.

But ground produce was only a small part of the food offerings at the expo. Food vendors from across the parish came out to serve up a treat.

Tasty curried goat, jerk chicken and pork, shrimps, oxtail, boiled corn and soups had the crowd drooling for more. But not all jerk chicken was the same, and one vendor proved this when he took top prize for the Pan Chicken Competition.

The politicians, too, just could not resist their bites of what the banana parish had to offer, good food and lots of fun.

Boiled corn is a favourite at all Jamaican events.