This young lady displays cake baking and decoration items at the 4-H Achievement Day and Expo on Sunday. - PHOTO BY DWIGHT NELSON

MAY PEN, Clarendon:

The Gleaner/Power-106-sponsored National 4-H Achievement Day and Expo which was held on Friday at the Denbigh Showground in Clarendon under the theme 'Developing Our Youth, Improving our Country', featured exhibitions and displays from all over Jamaica.

The event showcased home economics, craft, agro processing, crops and livestock and farm machinery displays.

Several presentations and awards were made, including the Clover awards, by the Jamaica 4-H Clubs to Jamaica Broilers Group for 50 years of contributions to the agriculture sector.

The western region was the overall winners and walked away with first place in several categories, such as farm, machinery, project-work displays, public speaking, rabbit management and sandwich making.

Awards

The eastern region boasted the 'Boy and Girl of the Year', Roland Moore and Kadian Landell, respectively. The region was also successful in claiming first place in several categories, including agro processing, cattle, beef and dairy, budding and grafting, cake baking and decorating, circumposing, poultry management and the junior environmental challenge.

The central region never left empty- handed either, walking away with first place in the categories of beverage making, goat management and pantry towel making.

Addressing clubbites, Minister of Agriculture Chris Tufton implored the 4-H Club to encourage local production and local consumption. Minister Tufton was impressed by the extent to which the 4-H Clubs movement used local products, such as sweet potato, to make many different products on display such as sweet potato bread, pudding, cakes, chips, ice cream and liqueur.

Encouragement

The minister encouraged the 4-H movement to commercialise the products. The products, Minister Tufton explained, could be mass-produced and possible markets developed, generating revenue for the 4-H and Jamaica.

The day's activates ended with a concert with high-energy performances from dance groups such as Hyper Active Clique and Mad Squad after which, last year's Digicel Rising Stars second-place finisher, Jodian Pantry, and QQ sent the crowd into a frenzy.