Jamaicas first

Sugarcane Loader

VOL. 26 NO. 1 APRIL 2015

FREE COPY

Page 7

Fletcher
Dead at 90

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cores of farmers, political community

leaders, as well as family members
and friends, attended a thanksgiving service on Saturday (March 14) at the Saxthorpe Methodist Church in St Andrew for
the life of Courtney Fletcher, former senator and president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society.

Ready to Fight Farm Theft

Praedial Larceny Fighters:

Head of the recently appointed Praedial Larceny Prevention Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Deputy Superintendent of police Kevin Francis (3rd l) poses with his deputy Sergeant Damian Harry (1st l) and the Unit coordinator Judyann Edwards, at a media briefing held on March 12 at Ministry of Agriculture offices, Hope Gardens, Kingston 6

By Athaliah Reynolds-Baker (JIS)

he Government has injected $7 million
into the Praedial Larceny Prevention
Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as it moves to intensify efforts to address agricultural theft.
Portfolio Minister, Derrick Kellier, said
the money has been used to employ additional staff to bolster the work of the unit,
which includes the services of two members
of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
The policemen, Deputy Superintendent
Kevin Francis and Sergeant Damian Harry,
will head the Ministrys praedial larceny prevention operational activities and will mo-

bilise members of the JCF across the island

to curb praedial larceny.
Having the JCF leading the anti-praedial larceny charge, we now expect an intensification of operations on the ground,
Kellier said, while emphasising that praedial
larceny is a crime, and as such, should be
dealt with by the police.
He was addressing journalists at a media
conference, at his Hope Gardens offices in St.
Andrew on March 12.
Additional staff at the unit will include a
Praedial Larceny Coordinator, to provide administrative and policy support; and an administrative assistant.

To further boost the work of the unit,

LASCO Distributors Ltd. has also donated
$4 million for the purchase of a Toyota Hilux
motor vehicle.
It is estimated that some $5 billion is lost
annually due to praedial larceny and farm
theft, amounting to about $50 billion over the
last decade.
Against the background of annual output from the sector, valued at in excess of
$100 billion, it is our projection that this figure could be significantly increased if the opportunity costs lost by deferred investment
caused by praedial larceny were reduced,
Kellier said.

Courtney L Fletcher
July 20, 1924 February 28, 2015

Fletcher, who died Feb. 28, served as

president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) from 1974-93 and was a lifelong member of the People's National
Party. He is credited for his role as national organizer for the 1972 general elections, which the party won by a landslide.
Fletcher had a passion for agriculture from
an early age. He became a Jamaica 4-H
Clubs organizer shortly after graduating
from Cornwall College in Montego Bay,
St James.
During his almost two decades as
JAS president, Fletcher was very vocal as
he lobbied to enhance the welfare of farmers. He was very vocal about the crippling
effect of praedial larceny on agriculture,
poor marketing, high interest rates and the
poor condition of farm roads.
Continued on page 4

2 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2015

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EDITORIAL PAGE

Name and Shame the farm thieves

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t was good news for farmers as the Minister of Agriculture announced and launched
more plans to prevent or stop praedial larceny, also know as farm thief. This is a criminal offense punishable with meager fines
and a short prison term.
With an estimated annual loss of some
$5 billion, or nearly a quarter of agricultures
GDP and perhaps an equal number of people
refusing to invest in agriculture, the farm
criminals have been the biggest winners.
As these heartless people continue to
reap what they never sowed, several thousand farmers and family members have sustained serious injuries or have been murdered
as they seek to protect their source of income.
Since 1962, the Jamaican government
has conducted several studies, held consultations with stakeholders and has put forward
several solutions to stop the farm criminals.
But overall, it has been a miserable failure.
The few pockets, or years of success, are
nothing to write about as the criminal elements continue to rob the profit out of farming.

APRIL 2015 THE AGRICULTURALIST 3

Focal
Point

by
PATRICK MAITLAND

Publisher -The Agriculturalist

editor@theagriculturalist.com

The criminals know that government

and farm leaders are more about nuff talk
and the anti-praedial larceny strategies are at
best weak, ineffective and inconsistent. Take
for example a review of government solutions to fight praedial larceny over the past
40 years.
That evaluation revealed that the deployment of additional police is always the
single most common strategy. But after the
lobbying and the loud noise are over and the

police discreetly return to their original duties, the criminals resurface and continue to
plague the farmers.
However, we cannot expect the government to solve praedial larceny without active
and committed participation of the farmers
and their leaders.
We must admit that the thieves are
among some of the farmers, neighbours, family members, as well as police and other security employees.

Nevertheless, we are optimistic that the

government will get it right this time. Police
Commissioner Carl Williams said the JCF
would utilize modern technology, such as
DNA testing, to fight praedial larceny. We
are also going to be dedicating our investigative assets, that is, the detectives from the
Criminal Investigation Branch, who hitherto,
had not been focusing on this problem,
Williams declared.
In addition, we suggest that the police
introduce a Name and Shame strategy. This
will inform the public and communities impacted about all the praedial thieves arrested,
charged and convicted.
A large number of these unscrupulous
citizens in the community are repeat offenders, but neighbours are unaware of the behaviour as their stories seldom reach the
media.
The Name and Shame of the farm
thieves could be a major part of the solutions
to stop praedial larceny.

The opinions expressed in this newspaper, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Agriculturalist and its publishers. Please send your comments or suggestions to editor@theagriculturalist.com. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all articles will be published.

In photo (l-r) The Agriculturalists editor Patrick Maitland raps managing director of Red Stripe, Cedric Stewart
and chairman of Red Stripe, Richard
Byles at a recent lease signing ceremony for 250 acres of lands at Cheesefield, St. Catherine for the cultivation of
cassava, at the companys Spanish
Town Road offices.

Publisher & Editor:

Patrick Maitland

Consulting Editors:

Vincent Wright, Jairzenho Bailey

Produced & Published by:

Agri Life Foundation Ltd

OPINIONS

AMC Complex,
188 Spanish Town Road,
Kingston 11, Jamaica, W.I.
Tel: (876) 923-7471 923-7428
Fax: (876) 923-7428
agriculturalist@gmail.com
editor@theagriculturalist.com
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Caribbean cocoa inspires the worlds chocolatiers

he popularity of dark chocolate throughout the world has surpassed just being a
flavour of the month. The rapid growth in demand for fine flavour cocoa, primarily used
in the sought- after dark chocolate, over the
past five years, is set to continue bringing lucrative benefits to the Caribbeans fine cocoa
industry.
How the region can fully exploit this enhanced business growth through market penetration will be explored at the 3rd
CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum, being
hosted by the Caribbean Export Development

Agency, on April 15 16, in Montego Bay,

Jamaica.
The world cocoa market distinguishes
between two broad categories of cocoa
beans: ordinary or bulk beans (around 85%
of all cocoa worldwide) and fine flavour
beans, which are the defining component of
high quality chocolate. Together, Latin America and the Caribbean produce 80% of the
worlds fine flavour cocoa and, with six of
the recognised 17 countries in the world that
produce and export the exotic product come
from the Caribbean, the collection of small

islands have earned their place to feature

prominently on the world stage.
As the drive for increased consumption
is coming from the more mature markets of
Western Europe, North America and Japan,
producers need to be aware of the specific requirements and expectations of these buyers
and importers to make the most of market opportunities.
"We need to look at how to recognise
and encourage the proper growing and processing of fine flavour beans and how to
build links between small farms and artisan

chocolate makers. Both sides can benefit

from the sourcing of unusual and interesting
flavours from very local sources and the production of great chocolate," says founder of
the British company Duffy's Chocolate Duffy
Sheardown, who will be a speaker at the upcoming CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum.
The complex flavours of cocoa beans
grown in the region have also become increasingly popular, as major chocolate manufacturers in Europe and other markets are
now offering premium chocolate products in
their range.

4 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2015

NEWS

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Food Security
Lenworth Fulton

is Priority

By Glenis A. Rose, JIS

hief Executive Officer (CEO) of the

Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Lenworth Fulton, has emphasised that food security and safety has
become a national priority.
The CEO said that priority is very significant, as economic and environmental
forces have combined to threaten long-term
food supply and prices. He said that the
work being carried out by the Bureau of
Standards Jamaica to facilitate a risk-based
preventative approach rather than a reactive
approach to food safety problems, is in line
with guidelines stipulated by the Food
Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA).
Addressing participants at the 7th
Caribbean Food Safety and Security Conference at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall Resort,
in Montego Bay, on March 18, the CEO
said that priority is very significant, as economic and environmental forces have combined to threaten long-term food supply and
prices.
As the extension arm of the Ministry
of Agriculture and Fisheries, RADA is
committed to promoting the development
of agriculture in Jamaica. As part of this
mandate, food safety and security is a critical part in our extension delivery to farmers of Jamaica, Mr. Fulton said.
This conference is particularly timely
in light of these efforts to reduce the countrys food import bill, by growing more of
what we consume with programmes such
as the Irish Potato Programme and the work
being done with the Agro Parks, he noted.
-------------------------------------------

Fletcher Dead at 90

Continued from page 1

He was instrumental in forming of
several farmers cooperatives, including the
Christiana Potato Co-operative Association,
the North and South Manchester Coffee
Co-operatives, the Maggotty Coffee Co-operative and the Frankfield Coffee and
Cocoa Co-operative. During his presidency
of the JAS, he took action to have the organizations constitution amended to provide
for agricultural organizations to become
members organizations of the JAS.
At the JAS Board of Management
meeting on March 3, president Norman
Grant lead a minute of silence and paid tribute to their longest serving native president.
Former Minister of State for Agriculture
and the opposition spokesman on agriculture, JC Hutchinson, said Fletcher would be
remembered for his strong lobbying and
dedication to the farmers.
He is survived by three daughters and
three sons.

PRODUCT TALK:

JJamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) CEO Christopher Emanuel (l) greets Hi-Pro Farm Supplies staff Vanessa Benjamin,
pharmacist (c) and Denise Johnson, marketing officer at a recent agricultural summit organized by the JAS and held at the
Jamaica Conference Center, Kingston.

Jamaica Producers
reports decline in
coffee production

amaica Producers Group says it has

faced challenging conditions in relation to the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, which is a joint venture company
with Pan Jamaica Investment Trust.
In its just released 2014 audited
results, Jamaica Producers said the
supply of coffee cherries for processing of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee
is at its lowest in decades. As a result
prices for coffee cherries are exceptionally high.
Supply conditions for coffee cherries were adversely affected by the leaf
rust disease and unfavourable weather
conditions, the company said.

-The Jamaica 4-H Clubs Photo:

JAMAICA 4-H CLUBS GETS PATRON FOR 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
Jamaicas first lady and patron of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs 75th anniversary celebrations Lady Allen accepts a schedule of the Clubs 75th Anniversary from 4-H
Clubs chairman, Norman Grant (c) during a recent courtesy call at Kings House,
St. Andrew. Sharing in the moment is Ronald Blake executive director, Jamaica 4H Club which will be observing their 75th anniversary activities from April 1, 2015
to March 31, 2016.

Political bias in EU Sugar projects selection

DUANVALE, Trelawny (Jamaica Observer)

hairman of the All-Island Jamaica Cane
Farmers Association Allan Rickards
(AIJCFA) says a number of the projects financed by European Union (EU) money
under the Sugar Transformation Unit (STU)
in the Ministry of Agriculture, are politically
selected for the benefit of the cane farming
communities.
Frankly we think some of the choices
are political. I might as well say it, Rickards
said.
He was speaking at the Duanvale Cane
Farmers Groups annual general meeting held
at the Duanvale All Age School Tuesday
evening.
During the meeting vice-chairman of the
Duanvale Cane Farmers Group, Samuel Sir
T Thomas raised the issue with the guest
speaker, Head of Delegation of the European
Union to Jamaica, Ambassador Paola
Amadei, that members of his group want to

Allan Rickards
Chairman, All-Island Jamaica
Cane Farmers Association
play an integral role in the identification of
the projects.
The funds are used to build libraries,
stadiums and all these things. What we are
asking, could some of the funds be directed

to the association to help us fix our roads and

to put into other areas so that we can improve
our product (sugar cane), Thomas questioned.
The roads are bad and we need assistance. What we are doing is the chairman is
going from Ministry to Ministry and beg and
what he gets is not enough.
But, Amadei expressed that it is the Government of Jamaica that chooses the projects
under the programme, without the interference of the EU.
We work together with the Government
of Jamaica. In the case of the Sugar Programme, the funds are directed to the Government of Jamaica. What we do, we agree
with the Government on objectives we dont
identify one by one the investments. Its different in the case of the sugar quarters because it was specific but for the other projects
the one you mention with the library, with the
community centre, Amadei explained.

M
am

Th

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Coffee
Price Soars

APRIL 2015 THE AGRICULTURALIST 5

By patrick Maitland
Editor-The Agriculturalist
he scarcity of Jamaica Blue Mountain
Coffee is sending shockwaves throughout the international markets especially
Japan, which has been in a panic for failing
to supply their clients.
Prices at farmgate for cherry coffee has
moved from a minimum of J$3,500 last
year to a current minimum of J$9,000 per
box. There are incidents of cherry coffee
selling at prices well above $10,000 per
box, which is believed to be highly unsustainable.
Coffee analysts told The Agriculturalist that from as far back as 2010, several
small farmers had withdrawn from the
growing of coffee due to unfavourable
prices at farmgate for their cherry coffee
and the high cost of fertilizer.
Incidentally a farmer with 3-5 acres
of coffee had achieved this by starting out
with a 1/2 acre plot and gradually increase
over a number of years to a current holding
of 3-5 acres. After abandoning their farms
and it is overtaken by weeds and return to
ruinate, it becomes impossible for them return and resuscitates the entire plot all at
once without proper funding. Some were
able to restart while others just simply give
up the idea of coffee production, a coffee
analyst explains.
The 2013/2014 coffee crop was very
small as a result of the effects of 2012 Hurricane Sandy which battered the plantation
and brought widespread Coffee Leaf Rust
in the aftermath.
For the 2014/2015 crop many of the remaining coffee farmers had high hopes of
recovery, but was hit by an the worst
drought in modern history with greatest effect in Western St. Andrew and Portland
sections of the Blue Mountains. As a result,
some farmers reap as much 10 boxes but
could only sell two, the remainder being
light because of poor development of the
bean.
Coffee analysts are suggesting that the
industry is changing with most coffee dealers with large processing facilities now
moving to enter or increase production to
guarantee their minimum throughput. No
longer can small farmers be relied on maintain steady supplies of high quality cherry
coffee, a coffee exporter confirmed.

Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, Derrick Kellier (seated centre) and Managing Director of Red Stripe,
Cedric Stewart (seated right), sign a lease agreement for 250 acres of lands at Cheesefield, St. Catherine for the cultivation of cassava. The signing ceremony was held on March 10, at the companys Spanish Town Road offices. Others (standing from right) are: Chief Executive Officer of the Agro Investment Corporation (AIC), Everton Spencer; Deputy Chairman
of the AIC, Jonathan Brown; Donovan Stanberry, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry; Luther Buchanan, State Minister in
the Ministry and Cavell Francis-Rhiney, LRM Business Development Lead, Red Stripe. Richard Byles, Chairman of Red
Stripe seated left.

Kellier Hails Red Stripes Cassava Project

By Garfield L. Angus March 11, 2015

inister of Agriculture, Labour and
Social Security, Derrick Kellier, is
lauding the move by Red Stripe to use cassava as a replacement for imported barley
in the production of beer, noting that this
has opened up opportunities for farmers.
He said the initiative by Red Stripe is
providing a sure market for the tuber.
Minister Kellier was speaking on
March 10, at the signing of a lease agreement with Red Stripe, which will provide
the company with access to 250 acres of
lands in Cheesefield, St. Catherine for the
cultivation of cassava. The signing was
held at companys Spanish Town Road offices.
The lease agreement represents another significant step in the nations drive
to expand the production and use of locally
produced foods. This initiative by Red
Stripe, has now provided a market-driven

demand for production, and has opened a

window of opportunity for our hard working cassava farmers, Minister Kellier said.
Last year, the Ministry and Red Stripe
signed a lease agreement for 36.2 acres of
land at Bernard Lodge, St. Catherine to facilitate the pilot of the companys multimillion dollar Project Grow cassava
initiative.
The pilot is targeting some 500 acres
of land for cultivation over an 18-month
period with some US$1 million earmarked.
Implementation of the project forms
part of moves by Red Stripe to replace 20
per cent of imported inputs, primarily barley, used in the brewing of its globally
renowned flagship product, Red Stripe
Beer, by 2016.
As part of the project, Red Stripe plans
to train and employ 2,400 persons in cassava production over the next five years.

Minister Kellier said the Ministry is

supporting the cassava project through
services provided by the Rural Agricultural
Development Authority (RADA), in collaboration with the Caribbean Agricultural
Research and Development Institute
(CARDI).
He is urging farmers to increase production to supply cassava to Red Stripe.
For us to attain the kind of success we
need, we need to at least double our productivity levels. With good agronomic
practices and irrigation, productivity can
be achieved, he said.
Chairman of Red Stripe, Richard
Byles, said the cassava initiative is a
model project. It meets the economic demands of the country. It substitutes for an
imported product, it employs, especially
young people trained by Red Stripe, and it
is a partnership that has been forged, he
said.

Caribbean Chemicals Buys Agriculture Chemical Plant

A
G Chem Plant Limited, a
newly formed Jamaican company and a subsidiary of Caribbean
Chemicals and Agencies Limited
(CCA), has recently signed an
agreement to acquire the Agriculture Chemical Plant division (Ag
Chem) of J. Wray & Nephew, a subsidiary of Gruppo Campari of Italy.
CCA is the largest agricultural
input supplier in the English-speaking Caribbean and was founded in
1967 by the late Joe Pires Snr.
CCA is based in Trinidad with
offices in Guyana and Suriname

and has been a pioneer in agriculture for over 47 years to all the
Caribbean islands. The company
represents some of the largest
brands in the agricultural industry,
like BASF, Omex and Miller.
AG Chem Plant Limited was
formed to acquire the assets of the
agricultural chemicals division of J.
Wray & Nephew, which include a
formulating plant, land, buildings,
all trade names and chemical registrations and all registrations in other
Caribbean islands where 50 per cent
of sales have been, for a number of
years.

The directors
of AG
Chem Plant
Graham
Dunkley
continues
to serve as general manager

Limited are Joe Pires Jr (chairman)

and Jamaicans Simon duQuesnay,
Paul Lalor, Martine Fontaine, Ollie
McIntosh, Raymond Miles Jr and
Bruce Levy.
Chairman of CCA Mike Toney
stated that this acquisition solidifies
CCAs position as the largest supplier to the Caribbean of inputs into
farming.
Our investment in this deal includes the purchase price of US
$8.2 million, but when you consider
taxes and duties, it is just over US$9
million that we would pay on completion of this purchase, he said.

Managing director of CCA Joe

Pires Jr explained that the Jamaican
operation will expand its exports in
the region by 50 per cent in the next
two to three years and become a net
foreign exchange earner in the same
time period, said Pires.
AG Chem is operated by Jamaicans and, with general manager
Graham Dunkley continuing to lead
the company, we expect to be a
good corporate citizen in Jamaica
and the region and continue to introduce new technology to reduce
our farmers costs.

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Ban imposed on imported

Agricultural Staff Movement
N American poultry products F
I

6 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2015

n a bid to safeguard Jamaicas poultry and

public health in the wake of recently reported outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian
Influenza, commonly known as bird flu, in
Asia, Africa, Europe and North America,
Government, through the Veterinary Services
Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries, has imposed an immediate import
restriction on poultry products from North
America the main source from which Jamaica imports poultry products.
With immediate effect, all poultry and
poultry products (raw, chilled, fresh or
frozen) and by-products not fully cooked,
hatching eggs and raw pet foods originating
in the states of Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri,
Minnesota, California, Idaho, Oregon and
Washington in the USA and British Columbia, Canada, are under restriction until further advised.
The list of products includes, but is not
limited to: live birds and hatching eggs, egg
yolks, egg whites; poultry meat (except fully
cooked, canned, commercially sterile products); raw pet foods containing poultry;
feathers/offal.
The measures are intended to safeguard
the countrys poultry and public health. There
is no immediate food safety risk and the consumption of properly cooked poultry meat
and poultry products remains safe.
In addition to the imposition of immediate restrictions, the Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries, in collaboration with industry
stakeholders, has already taken other steps to

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safeguard Jamaicas poultry and human

health.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries
has already engaged major players in the
poultry industry and has been communicating with importers, Jamaica Customs Agency
and the Ministry of Health on the matter. Further engagement will involve backyard and
small scale poultry operators, egg farmers,
pet bird owners, pet stores and all other stakeholders to ensure full cooperation on the part
of everyone.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries
has in place a National Emergency Animal
Disease Committee (NEADCOM), chaired
by the Minister. This committee oversees
programmes necessary to ensure the islands
preparedness to handle outbreaks of animal
diseases, including the avian influenza (AI).
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) has been included
in the Ministrys Emergency Animal Disease
Preparedness Plan, which outlines procedures in case of a disease emergency.
Poultry farmers are advised to avoid
contact between their poultry and wild birds
by proofing their poultry houses from these
wild birds. They should ensure that wild
birds, including pigeons, cannot enter the
poultry houses and the feed and water must
be protected from contamination by these
wild birds. Jamaica is currently free of the
disease; however this plan of action must be
in place in the event that it does reach the islands shores.

ormer head of the

Sugar Transformation
Unit (STU) in the Ministry
of Agriculture
George Callaghan has
been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of
the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) since January 5, 2015.
He replaced Ambassador Derrick Heaven,
who was recently appointed chairman of the
board of director of the Jamaica Cane Product Sales.
Ambassador Heaven also
chairs the board of management of the College of
Agriculture, Science and
Education (CASE).

George Callaghan
CEO, SIA

Former Dean of Agriculture at CASE, Dian

Medley was recently appointed vice-president of
Academic Affairs, replacing Johnathon Lamey
who retired the ending of
last term.

Dian Medley
VP, CASE

Agriculturalist and farmer Donald Elvey has

been appointed general
manager of the All-island
Banana Growers Association (AIBGA) effective
March 24, 2015.

PROFILE

Mark Richards - CEO of

National Irrigation Commission

he National Irrigation Commission

Limited (NIC), an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has appointed Dr. Mark Richards as Chief
Executive Officer since November 14,
2015.
In his new role, Dr. Richards will be
responsible for, among other things, managing and coordinating the operations of
all divisions within the NIC and directing
studies of the current and projected national needs for irrigation services in Jamaica. He has also been tasked with
fostering partnerships with various stakeholders from within the public and private
sectors as well as international development partners to fulfill NICs role in meeting the governments objectives for
agricultural growth, food security and national development.
An environmental specialist for over
ten years, he has worked in several capacities within agencies of the Government of
Jamaica in the areas of environment management and planning, climate science and
project management. He previously served
as highway construction monitoring consultant with the National Environment Protection Agency, and as an environmental
engineer at the National Works Agency
where he was extensively involved in
major projects involving roads, buildings
and drainage.
Dr. Richards holds a Doctorate in Atmospheric Environmental Chemistry from
the University of the West Indies and has
training in the management of climate
change and eco-systems from Seoul National University and University of California.
Additionally, he completed undergraduate studies in pure and applied chemistry at the University of the West Indies,
where he worked as an assistant lecturer in
applied chemistry and unit processes in industrial chemistry.

Dr. Mark Richards

CEO, NIC

Dr. Richards, who is also a farmer,

serves as a member of the National Air
Quality and Disaster Risk Reduction Committees.
The National Irrigation Commission
Limited is the sole provider of irrigation
services to farmers and other commercial
and industrial users across the country. The
organisation operates irrigation services
within the districts of Yallahs, St. Thomas;
Mid-Clarendon; Braco, Trelawny; St.
Dorothy, Rio Cobre and Colbeck, St.
Catherine; New Forest/Duff House in
Manchester; Hounslow and Beacon/Little
Park, St. Elizabeth and Seven Rivers in St.
James.
-Contributed

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APRIL 2015 THE AGRICULTURALIST 7

MXL-126 SUGARCANE LOADER INVENTORS:

Richard Powell, executive chairman & chief engineer on

the MXL-126 Sugarcane Loader Project (l) and Churchill
McPherson, lead mechanical & quality assurance manager
on the MXL-126 Sugarcane Loader Project.

Mapex released Jamaicas first Sugarcane Loader

By Patrick Maitland
Editor-The Agriculturalist
amaican sugarcane industry got a boost
with the recent release of the Mapex
MXL-126 High Reach Cane Loader, rated as
one of the most reliable, efficient and economical cane harvesting machines in the region.
According to Richard Powell, Sr., executive chairman of Machinery & Parts Export,
LLC (Mapex) based in Mandeville and headquarters in Orlando, Florida, USA, the
Mapex MXL-126 was designed with a simple concept in mind: to create the worlds
best whole stalk sugar cane loader. With that
as our inspiration, we made the most reliable,

efficient and economical loader, setting this

machine apart from its competition.
Powell said the MXL-126 is outfitted
with several state-of-the-art parts including
the Iveco N45 Engine, which contributed to
lower fuel consumption considerably, while
maintaining superior performance and
torque.
After a successful launch and testing of
the prototype last year, two other MXL-126s
were assembly in Jamaica by a team of five
Jamaican and overseas engineers. The machines are doing extremely well in the fields
as farmers are very pleased with the 72-inch
track width that is well suited for most local
field conditions without damaging the banks

and ration crops, Powell explains.

With an additional 12 MXL-126 loaders being assembled for both the local and
overseas markets, the veteran farm equipment distributor added that the design of the
loader allows for quicker and easier maintenance, thus reducing downtime and increasing productivity.
Costing an average of $10-12 million
per loader, Powell reveals that the project is
very challenging but he remains very optimistic as he was currently receiving several
inquiries from prospective buyers.
Powell further said that the Sugar Transformation Unit (STU) of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries as well as the en-

tire sugar industry stakeholders, have been

very supportive of the project.
However, the government should consider relaxing the up-front payment of the
16.5 percent General Consumption Tax
(GCT) on imported parts, which are being
used to assembly the Mapex MXL-126
loader.
A reduction or removal of these taxes
would help us expand operation and operate
more efficiently, Powell added.
Machinery & Parts Export is a full-service procurement company and distributorship that specializes in agricultural,
industrial, hotel, construction and truck
equipment, and spare parts.

Grant/cholarship for CASE

Secretary and PR
Director, CASE
Class of 1988,
Patrick Maitland (l)
presents CASE
president, Mary
Nichols a check of
$166,500 to cover
bursaries for six
students in the
faculty of
agriculture.

(l-r) Former agriculture min-

ister and CASE alumni;

Robert Montague; president,
CASE Alumni Association,
Webster McPherson; CASE
vice-president, Dian Medley;
CASE board chairman, Derrick Heaven and CASE president Mary Nichols cut a
cake in celebration of the
105th Anniversary of the
founding of the Government
Farm School on January 25,
1910.
President of Ole Farmers Association North America, Inc, (OFANA) Wendell Codner (6th l) and CASE president Mary Nichols pose
with students and recepients of OFANA scholarship which is valued at US$8,000 and was presented at the college Founders Day celebration held in January 2015

JAMAICA DAIRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD

8 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2015

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NEWS & UP-DATES

IN SUPPORT OF EDUCATION:

Jamaica Dairy Development Board, chairman Janice Holness (3rd l), Hugh Graham, CEO; College of Agriculture, Science and Education
(CASE) president Mary Nicholas (2nd l) pose with scholarship winning students of the college. Two scholarships valued at J$600,000 annually and two bursarieswere presented to students of animal science and general agriculture valued at J$120,000 annually to students
of animal science and/or general agriculture. A Book grant to the library at CASE to ensure that the college is up to date on the latest publications in agriculture, animal science and dairy science were also donated by the Dairy Board.

REVITALIZATION OF
THE DAIRY SECTOR

he Dairy Sector Revitalization Programme has

given critical support to the industry since its
launch in 2008.

PROJECT FOCUS

Making available low cost loans and grants to farmers

through the DBJ/PC Bank network for working capital support.

LOAN COMPONENT

Beef and dairy farmers have benefited from loans totaling $64 M for pasture development; purchasing
breeding stock; and upgrading farm equipment.

CAPACITY BUILDING COMPONENT

Assistance provided through farmers organizations

include: The re-introduction of a National Milk
Recording Programme in collaboration with the Jamaica Hope Cattle Breeders Society; Allocationof
mastitis testing kits and computers to aid participating farmers in National Milk Recording Programme.

GRANT SUPPORT PROGRAMME

Assist in building local capacity in Embryo Transfer

Technique; Capacity building support to BDPAJ in the
development of an operational plan for the management of cluster farms and engagement of pre-project
consultancy; Initiation of a collaborative research
project with UWI, St Augustine to develop an islandwide nutritional profile of Jamaica pastures, upgrade
the Forage Analytical Laboratory at Bodles; and Approval of grants funding to enable restoration of milk
collection facility at Rhymesfield Cooperative. Support the establishment of a milk testing reference laboratory at the Bodles Research Station.

Dairy Board Supports CASE

By Hugh Graham, CEO

Jamaica Dairy Development Board
aving carefully evaluated the requests of CASE to
transform the dairy unit into a centre of best practices, The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, through
its agency The Jamaica Dairy Development Board, is
pleased to announce the following major interventions at
CASE:
Phase 1 of the renovation of the CASE Dairy Unit: a
grant in the sum of J$12.2 million to renovate existing
building and structures; repair existing cooling system;
acquire fodder chopping equipment; install machine milking system; resuscitate and create new pastures; and acquire a pasteurizer and supporting equipment.
A grant of 25 Jamaica Hope heifers that are procured
from Serge Island Farms Limited valued at J$1.6 million.
Two scholarships valued at J$600,000 annually to students of animal science and/or general agriculture.
Two bursaries valued at J$120,000 annually to students
of animal science and/or general agriculture.
A Book grant to the library at CASE to ensure that the
college is up to date on the latest publications in agriculture, animal science and dairy science.
I have not herein exhausted the support that my
Ministry has committed to CASE. For example, every
year we take on many students as part of the colleges Cooperative Internship Education Programme. The Dairy

Jamaica Dairy Development Board, chairman Janice Holness (l) presents scholarship
agreement letter to a CASE student.

Board has committed to continue its participation in this

programme.
Note carefully, we have included a pasteuriser and
supporting equipment with our assistance. This will ensure that the milk produced at CASE will be safe for use
in the school feeding programme.
Several basic and infant schools in this parish stand
to benefit from having milk from CASE in their porridge
under the breakfast programme.

For further information contract:

JAMAICA DAIRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hope Gardens, Kingston 6

Tel: (876) 618-7107 Fax (876)977-9230 Email: dairyboard@moa.gov.jm

www.jddb.gov.jm/

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Around Town Photos

APRIL 2015 THE AGRICULTURALIST 9

Silbert O'Meally of
Agro Grace (l) and
Winston Thomas
of Newport Mills
inspect pesticide
at a recent
agricultural
summit organized
by the JAS and
was held at the
Jamaica Conference Center,
Kingston.

Member of Parliament for North Eastern St. Elizabeth, Raymond Pryce (right),
looks on as Chair of the Digicel Foundation, Jean Lowrie Chin (foreground), cuts
the ribbon to open to the shade house, which the Foundation handed over to the
JCDC at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre, in Kingston, on March 11. Others
observing are: Chairman of the Ranny Williams Re-development Committee and
Board Commissioner of the JCDC, Pamela Redwood (2nd right); and Executive
Director of the JCDC, Delroy Gordon.
Farmer Lawrence Lynch (2nd left) displays onion reaped from his field with (from
left) the Hon Derrick Kellier, Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security;
Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary; and Don McGlashan, director general,
both of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, during a tour of onion fields in the
Yallahs Agro-Park in St. Thomas on March 18.

10 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2015

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Mobile Computing
in Agriculture

ortable computers and smartphones are destined to widely

populate farm tractor cabs, pickups and offices in the future.
Apples iPhone (which now
is available through several carriers Lime, Digicel, Verizon as well
as AT & T) and smartphones
using Googles Android operating
system are becoming the cellular
communicators of choice for
many farmers.
Thats despite the reality that
few of the tens of thousands of
phone applications are specific to
agriculture.
Sales of tablet computers,
like Apples iPad, are expected to
grow dramatically. Sales will be
fueled by a raft of new touchscreen tablets introduced in early
2014 that run a customized version of Googles Android operating system. In coming weeks and

months, you can expect to see

new Android tablets from Dell,
Acer, Asus, LG, Motorola, MSI,
Samsung, Sharp, ZTE and others.
Ag-specific mobile computers continue to be based on the
Windows operating system. This
allows them to run Windowsbased software that dominates the
agriculture market.
Ag Leader, Farm Works and
SST have recently introduced
new Windows Mobile rugged
handhelds with enhanced features, including more powerful
processors, GPS, high-resolution
cameras and built-in wireless and
cellular communications capabilities. For even more computing
horsepower, Farm Works also offers the Yuma ruggedized tablet
computer, which runs the full
Windows 7 operating system.
David Hest

ASF rolls out Limus nitrogen management which will

be available for the 2015 growing
season. With fall application
stalled, spring fertilizer application will become important.
Spring application of ureabased fertilizer is a great way to
cover a lot of acres fast. Protecting that urea from urease enzymes in the soil will help keep
what you paid for where you applied it.
Crop protection company
BASF has a long history with nitrogen. The firm can reach far
back in its history to two company chemists - Fritz Haber and
Carl Bosch, without whom modern farming could have been set
back for some time. The two
chemists came up with the HaberBosch process that allowed them
to harness nitrogen to create ammonia, which allows farmers to
apply nitrogen-based nutrients.
Without nitrogen getting top level
yields in corn would be challenging.
Now BASF is innovating in
nitrogen again, this time with
Limus nitrogen management, a
urease inhibitor which includes
two active ingredients to make
sure applied urea-based nitrogen
products stay where they belong
- on the ground. "We saw the opportunity to enhance this marketplace with a new offering," says
Nick Fassler, product manager,

BASF. "What sets Limus apart is

that it uses two active ingredients
and we found that this combination provided the most performance against the urease enzyme in
the soil."
Fassler notes that the onetwo punch on urease offered by
Limus provided longer performance in the company's test trial
work. He also notes that nitrogen
management is a growing market.
"Growers are looking to optimize
their fertilizer investment," he
says. "We've seen a shift from
one application to a timely application providing nitrogen as the
crop needs it."
Limus works in the spoonfeeding system helping make sure
any applied urea or UAN using
the system doesn't volatilize too
quickly. Fassler notes that you
can lose more than 40% of surface-applied urea due to
volatilization within a two weeks
of application. The key is to keep
that urea protected until a rain
event can move it into the soil
where it can get to work.
Volatilization is a worry for
both dry urea you broadcast on
the crop and liquid UAN you drip
on top of the soil as a sidedress
application. Limus has been
shown to cut ammonia losses by
more than 90%, according to
Fassler. "That was shown in trials
where we left urea on top of the
soil for 30 days.

New Player in
Nitrogen Management
B

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Hi-Pro Farm Supplies

Helps Farmers Fight
Beet Armyworm

Roy Moxam at his farm in Flagaman, St. Elizabeth where his escallion crop was used to demonstrate the successful control of the Beet Armyworm using Alverde.

he island wide infestation of crops by the Beet

Armyworm has resulted in a $150 million loss
of revenue to farmers. This pest has been most pervasive in the parish of St. Elizabeth.
In response to this threat, Hi-Pro Farms Supplies has introduced to the farmers a new high technology BASF insecticide, Alverde, to help eliminate
the pest. The product has been successful in the fight
against Beet Armyworm and 28 other species of
worm, potato beetle, bugs and ants throughout the
Caribbean and South American region.
Within a day, Alverde paralyzes the pest and
stops it from eating, thereby minimizing crop damage, said Orville Roache, Technical Sales Agronomist at Hi-Pro Farm Suppliers - distributor of the
insecticide. He said that working with chemical
manufacturer, BASF, we have registered Alverde to
combat this threat to farmers livelihood. This insecticide is just one more of a long list of successful BASF chemicals now available to farmers
through Hi-Pro Farm Supplies.
Alverde can dramatically increase local food
production by protecting field produce from pests.
While the core business function of BASF is to increase crop yield, Hi-Pros mandate is to ensure that
our farmers produce profitably, so the collaboration

is working said Conley Salmon, Hi-Pro Vice President of Marketing for Feed & Agricultural Supplies. Were very happy with this product because
we are in a position to efficiently safeguard farmers profits by controlling infestation, he continued.
Hi-Pros agronomy team has already conducted
demonstrations on a number of farms to prove the
effectiveness of the insecticide. Over three years
now, Im having trouble with the Beet Armyworm,
said Roy Moxam, a farmer from Flagaman, St. Elizabeth, and participant in the demonstrations, whose
escallion crop has been consistently destroyed by
Beet Armyworm. I used the Alverde on a half-acre
[of escallion] and it destroyed the worms. The crop
is now just fresh, green and pretty.
Alverde is classified by the US Environmental
Protection Agency as a reduced risk candidate for
the environment and is registered with the Pesticides
Control Authority of Jamaica.
It is part of a new generation of chemicals with
minimal environmental impact and active ingredients which rapidly break down, making it considerably safer for consumers of the finished product
than previous insecticides.

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APRIL 2015 THE AGRICULTURALIST 11

12 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2015

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Promoting and Facilitating Agribusiness Investment

Management of State Owned Assets

Agro-Invest will manage the portfolio of investment properties previously managed by ADC. Any addition to or subtraction from the asset base and mode of operation will be based
on investment decisions.

Investment Project Development

Agro-Invest will be responsible for developing and implementing the business and investment models that support the
Ministrys policy and technological initiatives, utilizing its
own asset base (including the resources of the Agricultural
Support Services and Productive Projects Ltd.)

Project Management
This area is more appropriately described as project incubation, in that Agro-Invest will manage investment projects until
such time as they are considered to be sustainable, and can be
handed over to external investors or operators.

Resource Mobilization
Recognizing that most business financing models have a debt
and equity component, technical expertise will be available
to design loan packages, working with such local institution as
the Development Bank of Jamaica and external lending agencies. The equity portion will be mobilized through leveraging
the Agro-Invests assets base to secure external capital.
Investor Identification and Facilitation
Agro-Invest will identify joint venture partners through packaging of products and actively securing equity partners, both
locally and internationally. Agro-Invest will also partner with
Jamaica Trade & Invest in seeking joint venture partners, and
assisting them in making their capital injection, optimising
any incentives that are available to foster external investment.

Contact:
EVERTON SPENCER (CEO)

AGRO-INVESTMENT CORPORATION

AMC Complex, 188 Spanish Town Road, Kingston 11, Jamaica, WI

Tel: 764 8071; 923 9268; 923 0086; 923 9261 Fax: 758 7160
info@agroinvest.gov.jm or acp@agroinvest.gov.jm
Website: www.agroinvest.gov.jm

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

PLANT NUTRITION & SOIL NEWS

APRIL 2015 THE AGRICULTURALIST 13

IMPROVED CANE YIELDS FROM CUSTOMISED BLEND OF FERTILIZER:

Newport Fersan Providing Customised Fertilisers

Newport Fersan Technical and Sales team including Managing Director Dennis Valdez (9th l) pose with members of JWray & Nephew, St Elizabeth Sugar Cane Farmers Association and Fair Trade Association after a special field day training session.JWray & Nephew also shared testimonials on their improved yields based on the
Fersan precise nutrition programme. Other farmers also reported improved cane yields as a result of the customised blend of fertilizer developed by the company.

Spurred on by this accomplishment,

the Newport Fersan team is all fired up and
motivated to do even more to maintain and
even increase the pace in order to stay
ahead of its competitors.
"We still have a lot of work to do,"
Valdez disclosed, "and we have developed
a technical department only dedicated to

Newport Fersan, Dennis Valdez (l) presents a special sample of the fertilizer bland to cane farmer M Terrlonge

e don't sell a bag of fertiliser. We sell

a bag of solutions, managing director of Newport Fersan, Dennis Valdez, told
The Sunday Gleaner recently.
"Anybody can sell a bag of fertiliser
but our fertiliser comes with service which
sets us apart with respect to competitors.
In selling you a bag of fertiliser, we supply
a bag full of solutions together with the
transferring of technology and knowledge
to each farmer who uses our products,"
added Valdez.
According to Valdez, cuttingedge
technology, an outgrowth of its ongoing investment in research and development, is
what informs the Newport Fersan's precise
nutrition programme which accounts for its
growing popularity among farmers.
Precise nutrition
"We prescribe precise nutrition no
more, no less," Valdez explained. "It's like
a family type doctor for plants. So we visit
your farm, take soil samples and send the
samples to a lab. and in those results we
know what the soil can provide. We know
what the crop requires and we can determine how much nutrient to apply to supply the right amount of nutrient to that crop

to obtain the highest possible yields."

However, Valdez, who has presided
over the company's Jamaican operations
for the last seven and half years, says it
took a major investment in time as well as
resources to convince local farmers of the
value to be gained from the precise application of fertiliser, as against the traditional
broadbased methods.
"It has not been an easy job and that's
why we are where we are today, being the
preferred brand of fertiliser because of our
consistency. I believe a lot in show and tell.
If you are a farmer accustomed to using
16918 NPK (ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that make up complete fertiliser's) and your father,
grandfather are used to using this, why
should you change your formula when you
have seen results in the past?
"You have to go and explain to the
farmers that you are applying a product
with an additive enhancer. It might cost a
little bit more because you are adding a different element but at the end of the day,
that additional cost will represent savings
to him or her because the nutrients remain
in the soil for a longer time."

t h e

f i r s t

providing our unique recipe for precise nutrition programme. We don't only have a
sales team out there selling products but
we also have a technical team that visits
your farm, makes an assessment of your
farm coffee, citrus, sugar cane, vegetable, you name it, anything."

o n

-Courtesy of Sunday Gleaner

t h e

l a n d

Providing fertilizer recommendations based

on soil, tissue and water analyses
Supplying PROVEN quality fertilizer with the
latest technology for farmers
Offering the best technology in
micronutrients in our fertilizer blends
Offering additives to enhance Nitrogen and
Phosphorus uptake

Newport- Fersan (Jamaica) Ltd.

Lot 2A/ 2B Wherry Wharf Complex
Newport East, Kgn. 15. Jamaica
Tel.: (876) 967-5815, 967-5561, 948-9759, 948-9559
Fax: (876)948-3772
Email: info@newportfersan.com

SPONSORED BY:
Newport-Fersan (Jamaica) Limited as part of its farmers and public education programme
Send questions and comments to: Technical Manager: Newport-Fersan, Lot No 2a/2b Wherry Wharf Complex, Newport East, Kingston - 967-5815

HEALTH WATCH

14 THE AGRICULTURALIST APRIL 2014

NutriCare

WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

By

Gloria Bent, MS, RD, CDN - Nutritionist

Hunger vs Craving
Questions &Comments

gloria.bent@gmail.com

What are the top health concerns of men?

lthough the life-expectancy gap between men and women has decreased, women still live 5.2 years longer
than men.
Several things work against men.
They tend to smoke and drink more than
women and they dont seek the medical
attention they need as often as women.
There also are health conditions that
only affect men, such as prostate cancer,
testicular cancer and low testosterone.
Some men also define themselves by
their work, which can add to their stress.

Why do men die

younger than
women?

Men face some unique health challenges,

particularly as they age. While men and
women often suffer from the same adverse health conditions, men suffer from
many common ailments at an earlier age.
A few possible reasons for this are hormones, heredity and often men do not
pay as much attention to maintaining
their health as do women.
In addition: A higher percentage of
men have no health care coverage.
Men go to the doctor for prevention visits half as often as women.

Men are employed in greater numbers in the most dangerous occupations,

such as mining, firefighting and construction.
Men may have less healthy
lifestyles, including risk-taking at
younger ages.

What can I do to
stay healthy and
prevent disease?

Men need to make an extra effort to stay

healthy as they grow older. They should
focus on eating the proper foods, exercising and seeing a doctor for regular
health checkups. A healthy lifestyle goes
a long way toward reducing the risk of
developing health problems.
Remember:
Be your own health advocate
Educate yourself about a healthy lifestyle
Eat healthy
Be physically active
Maintain a healthy weight
Go for regular doctor and dental exams
Get appropriate vaccinations
Manage stress
Know your family health history
Dont smoke
If you drink, do so in moderation.

Jamaicas #1

Farmers Newspaper

THE AGRICULTURALIST
Reaches More Farmers
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today...923-7471

editor@theagriculturalist.com

Hunger
Usually occurs when you haven't
eaten for a few hours or more
Results in a rumbling stomach,
headache or feeling of weakness
Doesn't pass with time
Isn't just for one specific food
Can be satisfied by a healthy snack or
meal

Craving
Are usually for comfort foods, such as
chocolate, sweets and fatty foods
Are often caused by negative feelings
Lead to eating that makes you feel
good at first, but then guilty
May be stronger when you're dieting,
especially if you're giving up your favorite foods

Can occur even after you've recently

eaten
Pass with time

How to deal with craving

Distract yourself: Try calling a friend,
listening to music, taking a walk or
bike ride,
reading, or writing.
If a negative feeling is causing your
craving, use Stress reduction techniques might include taking a long hot
bath, walking, relaxation exercises, or
yoga
Drink a glass of water before giving
in to a craving. Sometimes when you
think you're hungry, you're really just
thirsty
Make lower calorie choices whenever
possible

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