365-2054

VOL. 24 NO. 1 MARCH 2013 FREE WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

Brown sacked
The Agro-Investment Corporation
(Agro-Invest), the agricultural invest-
ment facilitation and advisory division
of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fish-
eries is in search of a new chief execu-
tive officer (CEO) following the sacking
of CEO Hershell Brown since February
14, 2013. See page 3
By Patrick Maitland
Editor-The Agriculturalist
E
ight months after imposing a 16.5%
General Consumption Tax (GCT) on
selected farm produce and input
supplies, farmers are facing additional taxes
as the government announced new Customs
fees and other tax measures which is ex-
pected to yield $15.9 billion.
Peter Phillips, Minister of Finance &
Planning announced in Parliament on Feb-
ruary 12, several new taxes including the
application of a Customs Administration
Fee (CAF) on all imports except for chari-
table organizations and the bauxite sector.
Property tax will also be adjusted as well as
the stamp duty and transfer tax for property.
Buyers are currently taxed on a discounted
rate, but with the new measure they will
pay the full rate. These measures are ex-
pected to yield approximately $1.2 billion
and take effect on April 1, 2013.
The new fees include an import process-
ing fee of $20,000, motor vehicle process-
ing fee of $55,000 and a $1 million for bulk
cargo inspection fee. There will also be an
increase in taxes and fees paid at the ports.
These measures will be implemented on
March 1, Minister Phillips revealed.
Government senator and president of the
Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) Nor-
man Grant says his organization is access-
ing the full impact of the new tax measures
and was in dialogue with the Ministry of Fi-
nance to ensure protection for farmers. We
understand the challenges facing the gov-
ernment as it seeks to balance the books,
while ensuring growth and development of
the productive sector, Grant adds.
The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party
(JLP) spokesman on agriculture JC
Hutchinson says farmers should expect
price increases in coming months as farm
stores seek to recoup the additional costs
they will now be forced to pay at Customs
under the new tax measures. "These new
taxes are disincentives to production as the
farmers are already burdened with other
personal and farm expenses as a result of
government policy," Hutchinson told The
Agriculturalist.
Agriculturalist and marketing and devel-
opment officer at Agro Grace, Howard Ed-
wards explains, Since most of Jamaicas
farm input supplies including fertilizer,
feeds, pesticides, farm tools and other
equipment are imported, farmers and other
consumers should expect % price in-
creases for most supplies. Edwards also
noted, this is a very challenging time for
most retailers of farm supplies as farmers
are already cutting back on their supplies as
a strategy to reduce their operational cost.
Andrew Collins, president of the Jamaica
Exporters' Association (JEA) the hike in ex-
port fees will directly impact export costs.
Among them is the shipping bill fee for ex-
port, which will move from J$600 to
J$3,000. The annual private warehouse fee
will also move from J$25,000 to J$75,000.
Obviously that is going to increase the cost
of business, the cost of operating. So it is
really a matter of assessing the impact on
operating cost, said the JEA president. He
said the JEA is evaluating impact of these
fees on the sector.
Continued page 3
Farmers to face
additional taxes
Howard Edwards
Agriculturalist/
Agro Grace
Norman Grant
JAS President
Omer Thomas
Consultant
JC Hutchinson
JLP Spokesman
Peter Phillips
Minister of Finance & Planning
2 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2013 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2013 THE AGRICULTURALIST 3
EDITORIAL
J
amaican farmers are now being sub-
jected to too many government fees
and taxes, while receiving very little
subsidies and production incentives.
Where else in the world are farmers sub-
jected to these charges from their govern-
ment?
On July 1 last year the government im-
posed new GCT of 16.5% on eggs, live
birds, fish, pet food as well as planting ma-
terials including cereals and seeds in their
natural state, dormant flower bulbs, corns,
roots and tubers and nursery stock, veg-
etable plants and live trees. The GCT on
electricity was also increased from 10 to
16.5%.
Despite strong objections from various
stakeholders, farmers and farm leaders,
Government did not roll back the taxes. Ef-
fective on April 1, 2013 farmers will again
face additional expenses as Government
imposes several new taxes including the
application of a Customs Administration
Fee (CAF) on all imports except for chari-
table organizations and the bauxite sector.
These new taxes will have far reaching
implications for the viability of several
farm enterprises and projects as more than
60% of input supplies are imported. Pesti-
cides, fertilizers, farm tools and equipment,
seeds/planting material and medication are
attributed to more than 50% of the farmers
overall cost of production.
Known as the high cost producer com-
paring with farmers in other parts of the
world, Jamaican farmers will continue to
find it difficult to compete in most area in-
cluding the traditional crops sugar cane,
coffee, banana as well as selected fruits and
vegetables.
At the current trend of new taxes and in-
creases in government fees, we are pro-
jecting an overall increase of 30-40%
increase the farmers cost of production
during the next twelve months. We must
take into consideration that any major shift
in the macro economic environment is also
affecting the farmers usiness and personal
and affairs.
As the farmer struggle to maintain via-
bility and to keep prices low, the gates are
being opened for the lucrative farm im-
ports. Even when the duties and conces-
sions are paid the returns are over 100% in
the case of fruits and vegetables as well as
meat and fish.
But, agriculture is too important for us
not to protect and encourage local produc-
ers. In keeping with the open-market pol-
icy and World Trade organization (WTO)
agreement, government cannot outright
place a ban on the importation of produce
that are grown locally, but it can manage
the process in the interest of local farmers.
For example, the Minister should not be
granting permits for importation of any
chicken meat or pork when local supply is
high.
Government continues to pour millions
of foreign exchange to promote Jamaica as
a tourism destination, while ignoring the
marketing of our farm produce.
It makes no sense that higglers and
other middlemen continue to earn more
than 80 cents from every dollar that is gen-
erated from the farms. Jamaican farmers
need more incentives. No more farm taxes.
by
PATRICK MAITLAND
Publisher -The Agriculturalist
editor@theagriculturalist.com
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.
Focal
Point
Farmers cant take any more taxes!
Publisher & Editor:
Patrick Maitland
Advertising Executives:
Tricia Reece Lancelot Williams, Jr
Consulting Editors:
Vincent Wright, Jairzenho Bailey
Produced & Published
by:
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AMC Complex,
188 Spanish Town Road,
Kingston 11, Jamaica, W.I.
Tel: (876) 923-7471 923-7428
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www.theagriculturalist.com
Continued from page 1
We are still accessing the full impact of
the new taxes, but our preliminary estimate
would put the increase to 5-10%, Omer
Thomas agribusiness consultant predicts.
He said that the tax measure would cause
further problems for farmers including con-
traction in the economy, inflation leading
to higher prices and instability in the ex-
change rate.
Property owners have also described the
move as a retrograde step that will lead to
a slowdown in the real estate market. The
Realtors Association of Jamaica said first-
time property buyers will find it hard to fi-
nance their purchase and the revenue
measures could reopen the avenue to tax
avoidance and evasion.
According to the Realtors Association,
the ripple effect on the real estate market
caused by the proposed tax increases will
result in the government losing mass rev-
enues from the collection of taxes and fees
from various groups.
Amid strong objections from farmers
Government since July 1, 2012 also im-
posed new GCT of 16.5% on eggs, live
birds, fish, pet food as well as planting ma-
terials including cereals and seeds in their
natural state, dormant flower bulbs, corns,
roots and tubers and nursery stock, veg-
etable plants and live trees. Commercial
electricity was also increased from 10% to
16.5%.
The new tax measures are part of a
US$750 million, 48-month Extended Fund
Facility between the government and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Farmers to face additional taxes Brown Sacked
Continued from page 1
Brown told The Agriculturalist that he
was asked to quit and was served with a
three-month notice in keeping with his
employment contract. I was asked to quit
for no apparent reasons, but it would be
interesting to see who is my successor,
Brown said.
The Ministrys chief technical director
Don McGlashan was appointed acting
CEO until Browns replacement is identi-
fied.
Chairman Dennis Hickey could not be
reached for comments.
Agro-Invest was established in June
2009 following the merger of Agricultural
Support Services Productive Projects and
the Agricultural Development Corpora-
tion (ADC).
Jamaica Beverages
Buys Citrus Growers
A
ll is now in place for the sale of the
assets of Jamaica Citrus Growers
Limited. A press conference has
been called for Wednesday during which
Jamaica Beverages Limited will announce
the purchase of the company's Bog Walk
plant and the acquisition of the Juciful
brand.
Jamaica Citrus Growers had for several
years grappled with financial problems.
In 2009 an agreement was reached be-
tween the company and the Ministry of
Agriculture for the appointment of an in-
terim Manager of the entity. The Develop-
ment Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) had to
provide working capital support.
1Farmers to face additional taxes 3 last These measures
1 Farmers to face additional taxes 4 2 government as it seeks
1Farmers to face additional taxes 5 2 these new taxes are disincentives
3 Farmers to face additional taxes 9 1 Property owners have also
3 Farmers to face additional taxes 9 2 Association of Jamaica said
3 Farmers to face additional taxes 10 1 objections from farmers and leaders
3 Editorial 8 2 In keeping with the open
3 Editorial last 1 Promote Jamaica as a tourist
4 REDI gives Booster shot to Pig Industry 4 3 a view to develop
5 Cocoa farmers get training 2 1 Clarendon joined 500
5 Clarke challenges Hutchinson on cooked farm data 3 1 Data on
crop production is an estimate
5 Sam Lawrence died last 1 Portia Simpson Miller in a
8 Hague show focuses on Research and development 5 1 Children
pay half
4 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2013 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
NEWS
S
trategies to improve Jamaicas food
security, and in particular that of the
pig/pork industry got a significant
boost with the Jamaica Pig Farmers Asso-
ciation (JPFA) concentrating efforts on
strengthening its capacity for food safety
compliance and farm management.
Through a J$10.8M project financed in
part by the Jamaica Social Investment
Fund (JSIF) through its World Bank-
funded Rural Economic Development Ini-
tiative (REDI), the JPFA has begun the
process of developing training manual fo-
cusing on quality assurance for slaughter
facilities, wholesale and retail outlets to in-
clude jerk facilities.
According to President of the JPFA, Mrs
Angella Bardowell, these activities support
wider efforts to increase the competitive-
ness of the JPFA through a greater market
share of Jamaican pork on the domestic
market.
In addition to quality assurance, other
manuals are being developed for farm
management and record keeping. With
their proper use, some members will be
technically competent to improve their
own operations and later transfer this
knowledge to others. In addition to the
manual, participants will receive instruc-
tions on farm record keeping and manage-
ment with a view to developing
standardised forms and records for local
pig operations.
Furthermore, there will be training on the
cost of production modelling and price de-
termination of locally produced pork, ad-
vised Mrs Bardowell as she zoomed in on
the components of the project.
The project will also be instrumental in
assisting the JPFA to implement a market-
ing campaign geared at increasing pork
consumption among the local populace by
10.0% by the end of 2013. A key element
to improving public perceptions about pork
and to convert that into consumption is the
guaranteeing of the highest quality food
safety and nutritional standards so that the
consumers confidence of the origin and
superior eating quality of local pork is as-
sured, Bardowell said.
In this regard the JSIF REDI project, an
18-month initiative is expected to result in
the establishment of food quality and
safety management systems that will see
an increased supply of healthy animals and
an enhanced nutritional status of the popu-
lation through the consumption of healthier
foods while at the same time lending sup-
port to the national Animal Health and
Welfare Policy now in draft and the Food
Safety Policy now before Cabinet.
REDI Gives Booster Shot to Pig Industry
ANGELLA BARDOWELL
President of the JPFA
By Douglas McIntosh, JIS Reporter
C
onstruction of some 88 houses, ear-
marked for development in Spring-
field, Clarendon under the
European Union (EU)-funded Sugar Bar-
racks Relocation Project, is set to start
shortly.
A contract for the development, valued
at just over $160 million, was signed on
Wednesday (February 6) during a cere-
mony at the project site.
Approximately 209 sugar workers resid-
ing in that community and its environs,
who occupied estate barracks for many
years, will benefit from the houses, slated
for construction over eight months by the
engineering firm Seal Construction Com-
pany Limited.
Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller, in
her remarks at the signing ceremony, said
the Sugar Barracks Relocation Project is
one of the most satisfying and heart-
warming programmes I have presided
over.
We are building new communities in
which to raise our children in accordance
with the old African proverbit takes a
village to raise a child. Sugar workers can
look forward to moving their families out
of the barracks and into brand new accom-
modations. We are not only building
houses, we are building communities with
first class infrastructure, the Prime Min-
ister said.
She also expressed gratitude for the sup-
port and partnership of the EU, without
whom, she said, this would not have been
possible. The Government and people of
Jamaica remain grateful for our bi-lateral
and multilateral partners.
In her remarks, Head of the EU Delega-
tion in Jamaica, Paola Amadei, said the or-
ganisation is happy to extend assistance to
the Government on a project aimed at im-
proving the lives of the people, who have
helped to build Jamaicas sugar industry.
Today, we are happy to get started on a
project, which will positively impact even
more lives in Clarendon. This new settle-
ment will cater to the social and economic
welfare of its residents, including all basic
infrastructures and including, also, small
scale economic activity, Ambassador
Amadei said.
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister,
Roger Clarke, said the projects imple-
mentation marked a major step for the ben-
eficiaries, whom he said would, in the long
run, be able to relax with peace of mind
and security that something has been done
for them.
Sugar Workers Clarendon Get Houses
NEWS BRIEF
Hayles transferred
to water ministry
T
he Office of the Prime Minister,
OPM, recently announced that
Ian Hayles who was Junior
Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries, has been transferred to
the Ministry of Water, Land, Environ-
ment and Climate Change. The state-
ment said the re-assignment took effect
Friday, December 14. Robert Pickers-
gill, who is in charge of the ministry,
will advise of Hayles specific assign-
ment at a later date. Hayles was trans-
ferred from the Agriculture Ministry
following reports of a rocky relation-
ship with Minister Roger Clarke.
MOA sacks Thoms
T
he Ministry of Agriculture has
sacked its director of communi-
cations, Cecil Thoms, who was
accused by junior minister Ian Hayles
of taping his conversations without per-
mission.
The sacking comes less than a day
after Director of Public Prosecutions
Paula Llewellyn ruled that no criminal
offence was committed, after reviewing
the file submitted by the police on the
alleged taping."My lawyer and I are ex-
amining all possible legal options for
breach of redress and, therefore, we will
be contesting this because clearly there
has been a breach of natural justice and
we think that it is something that is
worth contesting," Thoms said.
Thoms, a former radio reporter, said
the Public Service Commission (PSC)
in terminating his services cited Section
23, Sub-section 3 of the Public Service
Regulation of 1961, which states that
"you do not need a reason to fire some-
one who is on probation".
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2013 THE AGRICULTURALIST 5
NEWS
Sam Lawrence Died
M
embers of the agricul-
tural sector and grad-
uates of the College
of Agriculture, Science and Ed-
ucation Alumni Association re-
gret the sudden passing of
Headley Samuel Sam
Lawrence.
Lawrence, who was 73, died
after he fell ill and was rushed to
the Port Antonio Hospital where
he died on Monday, January 28, 2013.
A son of the rural district of Riverside, Hanover,
Lawrence graduated from the Jamaica School of Agri-
culture in 1962.
He completed a Master of Science degree, from Ore-
gon State University, in applied economics majoring in
development and finance.
Lawrence worked with the Jamaica 4-H Clubs as the
organiser for Clarendon and St Thomas. He worked with
the Jamaica National Building Society as assistant
branch manager. Lawrence later made the move to Man-
deville to work at the Alpart Jamaica Ltd as the man-
agement systems and procedure coordinator.
He worked at the Frome Monymusk Land Company
during the era of the Sugar Workers' Coopeartives of the
1970's.
Lawrence servered as Member of Parliament for East
Portland between 1989-1997. He also served as Parlia-
mentary Secretary in the Ministry of Development, Plan-
ning & Production. In 1997, he went on to serve the
Caribbean region, for over a decade, as a technical advi-
sor at the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana.
He also served the Caribbean Community (CARI-
COM) as adviser for agriculture where he was based in
Guyana.
He is survived by five children and six grandchildren
and was remembered as a devoted father, loyal friend,
scholar, a patriot, philanthropist and a politician.
His body was interred at the Oaklawn Cemetery in
Mandeville.
The Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Millerin a state-
ment, described Lawrence as approachable, diligent and
methodical in carrying out his responsibilities and one
who faithfully served his constituents.
Send your Send your
commentS or opinionS commentS or opinionS
editor@theagriculturaliSt.com
923-7428923-7471
Clarke Challenges Hutchinson on cooked Farm Data
Spaulding confirmed
RADA CEO
The Agriculturalist understands that vet-
eran agriculturalist Harold Spaulding has
been confirmed as CEO of Rural Agricul-
tural Development Authority since January.
A
griculture Minister Roger Clarke
is challenging his Opposition
counterpart J.C. Hutchinson who
has complained about questionable data
provided by some extension officers at-
tached to the Rural Agricultural Develop-
ment Authority (RADA).
Hutchinson said the officers were not
doing enough farm visits and questioned
the accuracy and reliability of information
they provide. I personally witness a case
where an extension officer was submitting
incorrect estimates of hurricane damages
and his supervisor had to intervene as the
officer failed to provide the proof,
Hutchinson claims.
The former Agriculture State Minister
told The Agriculturalist that data on crop
production is an estimate, they dont
contact the farmers as the extension
offiers are limited with traveling.
Farmers are complaining that they
dont see their extension officers for over
a year. So how can they collect informa-
tion if they dont visit the farms for over a
year, Hutchinson questioned.
However the management of RADA
has dismissed suggestions that its officers
are fudging the figures and the Agricul-
ture Minister is now demanding that
Hutchinson explain how the complaint
came about.
But the people out there, the civil ser-
vants and the officers out in the field, they
must know what the true position is and
if he has any evidence, bring it to the fore
and Id be prepared to deal with those
people who are cooking the figures, be-
cause I have no vested interest in figures
being cooked. Whatever the production
is, that is how it is as far as Im con-
cerned, said Minister Clarke.
Hutchinson and Clarke
6 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2013 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
BOOK YOUR ADVERT
Call 923-7471
By Latonya Linton
A
pproximately 1,000 plan-
tain and banana farmers
are set to benefit from the
provision of fertilizer and insec-
ticide, under the European Union
Banana Support Programme
(EUBSP), valued at $13.5 mil-
lion.
The official handing over cere-
mony for the funds was held on
January 30 at the Banana Boxing
Plant, in Trinity, St. Mary.
Addressing the function, Min-
ister of Agriculture and Fisheries,
Roger Clarke, pointed out that the
damage to banana farms as a re-
sult of Hurricane Sandy on Octo-
ber 24, 2012 in the parishes of St.
Mary, Portland and St. Thomas
amounted to 93 per cent, 96 per
cent and 100 per cent, respec-
tively.
The level of damage is esti-
mated to cost about $1.1 billion
to rehabilitate the farms, commu-
nity farm roads and drainage net-
work were all impacted, Mr.
Clarke said.
As part of the support package,
approximately 2,500 bags of fer-
tilizer and 3,750 sachets of insec-
ticide will be available to 1,000
legitimate registered banana and
plantain farmers in the parishes of
St. Thomas, Portland and St.
Mary who are registered with the
Rural Agricultural Development
Authority (RADA) and the Ba-
nana Board.
Beneficiaries should also be
verified active farmers and suf-
fered damage to approximately
two hectares and upwards. They
are selected based on damage as-
sessment carried out by the Ba-
nana Board.
It is anticipated that distribu-
tion of the materials will com-
mence on January 31 and will be
managed by the RADA parish of-
fices in the affected banana pro-
ducing belt, Mr. Clarke said.
T
he Mavis Bank Coffee
Factory Ltd (MBCF) has
embarked on a number of
initiatives geared at combating
the Coffee Leaf Rust disease
which if not controlled could cost
the entire coffee industry US$4
million in revenue for the current
crop and could also affect future
crops.
MBCFs Norman Grant, man-
aging director/CEO explains that
the measures which will compli-
ment the support now given by
the Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries, the Coffee Industry
Board and RADA to control the
disease.
Grant further says about 500
farmers have benefitted from
these trainings in Hill Side, Hay-
field in St. Thomas, Silver Hill,
Cornwall Barracks, Bangor
Ridge, Seamans Valley Carlton
in Portland and Constitution Hill,
Mt. Friendship in St. Andrew.
The plan is to reach the entire
supplier data base of 5,000 farm-
ers over the next 5 to 10 weeks,
he adds.
Mavis Bank Coffee Factory
Extension officers have also at-
tended seminars and meetings
held by the Coffee Industry
Board.
Five mist blowers have been
deployed within the parishes of
Portland, St.Thomas and St. An-
drew. These mist blowers will be
increased to 10 over the next 3
weeks.
The teams will operate mass
spraying of farms. The mist
blowers are handled by trained
sprayers which are then hired by
the farmers at a flat rate of $500.
Four hundred and fifty- seven
two pound packs Solcox as well
as one hundred twenty pound
nurish fertilizer have been dis-
tributed to our farmers.
An additional amount of Sol-
cox and Topsin valued at over
$1,000,000 have been ordered
and are to be collected and dis-
tributed within next week.
Additionally, a spray team
will be in place by next week to
assist our farmers as well as we
will intensify training days and
farmers meetings over the next
two months.
$45 M for
Drought
Mitigation
Program
F
armers are to benefit
from a $45 million
drought mitigation pro-
gramme being implemented by
the Ministry of Agriculture.
The programme will establish
645 hectares of select crops in
13 parishes to counter any
shortfall in cash crops resulting
from the dry conditions affect-
ing the island.
It will involve production in-
centives to farmers in irrigated
and non-irrigated areas, to en-
courage them to plant addi-
tional acreages; and the
trucking of water to dry farm-
ing areas in St. Elizabeth.
We will be inspecting farms
throughout the country and we
will be targeting the areas
where this can happen, as far as
production goes and we will be
selecting the crops which we
know can come very quickly,
Agriculture Minister Roger
Clarke said.
NEWS
Initiatives to Control Coffee Leaf Rust Disease
Norman Grant
Managing Director/CEO
Mavis Bank Coffee Factory
By Chris Patterson
T
he Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries is seeking the
assistance of key regulators
in the United States, to lobby the
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) on pesticide options.
Minister Roger Clarke, ex-
plained that following on the work
of the Food Safety Modernization
Act (FSMA) committee, several
pesticides have been evaluated
and proven effective; however,
they are not approved by the EPA.
He said the Ministry will be so-
liciting the support of the United
States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and Food and Drug Ad-
ministration (FDA) as we make
representation to the EPA for hav-
ing other pesticide options, be-
sides Botran, which is the only
chemical approved to date.
The FSMA committee was set
up to develop a strategy to im-
prove the capacity of farmers and
fresh produce exporters to become
compliant with the legislation,
which is aimed at ensuring the
safety of foods entering the North
American country. The law re-
quires that pesticides are used ac-
cording to their EPA-approved
label use.
Minister Clarke, who was speak-
ing at the opening of a training
programme in good agricultural
practices at the Knutsford Court
Hotel New Kingston, on February
18, also used the opportunity to re-
quest the continued support of the
USDA and FDA in strengthening
the countrys food safety capacity.
You will recall that under Sec-
tion 305 of the new FSMA, there
is a regulation which speaks to
Building Food Safety Capacity of
Foreign Governments and we
wish to highlight to you that im-
mediately, we are available for
such assistance, he stated.
Agriculture Ministry to Lobby EPA on Pesticide Use
Banana Farmers Get $13.5 M
for fertilizer and insecticide
CALVERTY FARM AND VARIETY STORE
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WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2013 THE AGRICULTURALIST 7
J
an Kees Martijn, Head of the Interna-
tional Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to
Jamaica, issued the following statement
February 15, 2013 in Kingston:
The mission has reached a staff-level
agreement with the Jamaican authorities on
the key elements of an economic program
that can be supported by a 48-month
arrangement under the Extended Fund Fa-
cility (EFF), in the amount equivalent to
SDR479 million (about US$750 million or
175 percent of quota).
We have agreed on understandings that
are reflected in the authorities economic
program, as stated in the Letter of Intent that
will be reviewed by IMF Management and
finalized before the agreement is approved.
Staff envisages that the IMFs Executive
Board would consider the proposed arrange-
ment under the EFF by the end of March,
subject to the timely completion of prior ac-
tions to be taken by the Jamaican govern-
ment and obtaining necessary financing
assurances.
The authorities have announced a debt ex-
change that, along with the fiscal adjustment
and structural reform measures in the eco-
nomic program, will help reduce Jamaicas
medium-term financing needs and con-
tribute to debt sustainability. In addition to
continued support from international finan-
cial institutions and other official creditors,
the success of the authorities program will
depend critically on a high rate of participa-
tion of private creditors in the debt ex-
change. All these elements will help secure
financing assurances for a Fund-supported
program.
Over the last three decades, the Jamaican
economy has experienced very low eco-
nomic growth, declining productivity, and
reduced international competitiveness. An
important factor behind these problems has
been Jamaicas unsustainable debt burden,
which has undermined confidence and ele-
vated risks to economic stability. Addition-
ally, Jamaicas high debt service has limited
the governments potential to provide the
services needed to achieve sustained rates
of growth and increased welfare for its citi-
zens.
The main objective of Jamaicas eco-
nomic reform program is to contain the
countrys rising economic and external vul-
nerabilities and address economic imbal-
ances, while putting Jamaica on a path of
sustainable growth. The program also aims
to promote macroeconomic and financial
stability, including through achieving and
sustaining higher primary fiscal surpluses
that can help underpin debt sustainability,
pave the way for private-sector led growth
through the implementation of a compre-
hensive set of structural reforms, and pro-
mote social stability through enhanced
social protection for the most vulnerable.
This involves implementing a coordinated
set of reforms to: (i) strengthen public fi-
nances, including through comprehensive
tax reform, expenditure rationalization, and
improved public debt management and pub-
lic financial management; (ii) enhance the
resilience of the financial sector through
strengthened supervisory, regulatory, and
crisis management frameworks; (iii) im-
prove growth-generating efficiency through
enhancements to the business environment,
increased competitiveness, and strength-
ened institutional capacity and governance
(including through a broad legislative
agenda); and (iv) protect the most vulnera-
ble and promote economic self-reliance, in-
cluding through the establishment of a floor
on social spending, maintaining the real
value of PATH (Program of Advancement
through Health and Education) benefits, and
expanding re-certification and the Steps-to-
Work program.
Jamaica, which became a member of the
IMF on February 21, 1963, has a current
IMF quota of SDR273.5 million (about
US$434 million).
IMF Addresses Jamaicas Economic Imbalances
Jan Kees Martijn
Head of IMF Mission to Jamaica
Low returns for pig
investors - study
T
he findings of
a new study
show there are
low returns for in-
vestors from the pig
industry.
The study was con-
ducted by the Rural
Economic Develop-
ment Initiative, a project of the Jamaica
Social Investment Fund and the Ministry
of Agriculture.
The report indicates that profit in the pri-
mary segment of the industry is about 6.5
per cent and declining.
It suggested that the rate of profit should
be about 12.5 per cent which could be
achieved with added investment.
Key report features include ten opportu-
nities for improving the value and conse-
quential benefits of the local pig / pork
industry and notes that imported pork
products as a percentage of consumption
is 27 per cent.
This, the report states, is very high when
compared with global standards of under
6 per cent.
The report noted that pork consumption
as a percentage of total meat consumption
in Jamaica is 6% and decreasing compared
to 10 per cent in the US.
The report suggests that improved pro-
duction up the value chain should produce
new and differentiated products to stimu-
late demand to the level where it is at least
10 per cent of total consumption of meat.
Source: www.radiojamaica.com
Agri Life Foundation has been established as a non-profit organization to foster and encourage
farmers to become more self-sufficient and competitive in a free market economy. One of the main
ways that the Foundation will achieve these goals is through collaboration, professional support
and advisory from experts in the field. Such collaboration will provide a platform where individuals
from academia, business, government, and the farming community can share research-based
information and technology regarding environmentally sound management and profitable
agricultural production practices.
For further information:
Patrick Maitland,
Executive Chairman
Agri Life Foundation,
188 Spanish Town Road,
Kingston 11, Jamaica WI
Tel: 923-7471; 923-7428
patland2000@gmail.com
www.agrilifefoundation.org
8 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2013 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
Hague Show focuses on
Research and Development
HAGUE AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD FAIR
T
he Jamaica Agricultural Society
presents its 58th annual staging of
the Hague Agricultural and Food
Fair on Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
According to the organiser and parish
manager, Trelawny, Jamaica Agricultural
Society, (JAS) Denise Ramdatt, this years
theme is 'Research and development, tech-
nology transfer and investment in agricul-
ture.'
The event will be held on the Hague Show
Grounds near Falmouth in Trelawny. In ad-
dition to the regular parade of animals, there
will be the judging of agricultural exhibits,
but there will be many other competitions
including; Champion farmer, Branch Com-
petition, Livestock Competition, coconut
husking competition and farm queen pres-
entation.
Kids entertainment includes a kiddies vil-
lage, video games, bounce a bout, merry-go
round and face painting.
The show is sponsored by HiPro feeds,
The Jamaica Public Service Company, Taste
Tropics, Nutramix and Fersan Fertilizers.
Admission to the event is $600 for adults.
Children pay half price. Activities com-
mence at 6 am and go until 2:00 am.
This year, there will be a stage show and
gospel concert the day before (February 12).
Since starting in 1952, the Hague Show
has been a significant feature for show-
goers as the event serves to showcase a
sample of products and bi -products from
the parish of Trelawny and its surrounding
areas.
The Hague Agricultural Show not only
gives the farmers of Trelawny an opportu-
nity to showcase their produce but also
clearly demonstrates the collaboration and
support of agriculture by corporate agencies
and non-government organizations.
Denise Ramdatt
JAS Trelawny Manager
O
nce more it is my
pleasure to endorse
the annual staging
of the Hague Agricultural
Show.
Congratulations are in
order for the organizers as
this show has been success-
fully staged year after year
for 58 years.
These agricultural shows
showcase the efforts of our
farmers in general, and in
the case of The Hague
Show, it highlights the ef-
forts of the industrious
farmers of Trewlany.
Since 2008 the global
economy has been moving
through a series of crises,
the world has experienced
food and financial crises
and we are now suffering
from what appears to be a
persistent recession.
The Ministry of Agricul-
ture and Fisheries stands
ready to provide the neces-
sary guidance and facilita-
tion for sustainability of the
agricultural sector.
S
ince 1952 the
Trelawny Branch So-
cieties have success-
fully staged the annual
Hague Agricultural and
Livestock Show.
Sixty-one years later, this
exposition of the finest live-
stock and agricultural pro-
duce for which the parish of
Trelawny is renowned, is
still recognised as the pre-
mier event on the local
farmers calendar.
The contribution of the
parish of Trelawny to the
development of the agricul-
ture sector is legendary.
Trelawny was at the epicen-
tre of our cattle industry and
for many years the Hague
Agricultural Show was a
major trading ground for
cattle breeders.
In addition, South
Trelawny produces upwards
of seventy-percent of Ja-
maicas annual yam export,
with the Bolt magic giving
brand recognition to the fa-
mous Trelawny Yellow
Yam.
Trelawny is richly en-
dowed with some of the
most beautiful gifts of na-
ture which can be success-
fully and sustainably
harnessed for social and
economic benefits.
Our Finest Livestock and
Agricultural Produce
Patrick Allen
Governor General
Roger Clarke
Agriculture Minister
The Industrious
Farmers of Trewlany
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2013 THE AGRICULTURALIST 9
T
his administration regards
the contribution of the
agricultural sector as inte-
gral to national development, so
it is with great pleasure that I
commend the 2013 staging of the
Hague Agricultural and Live-
stock Show which is another op-
portune event for the nation to
focus on the development of our
agricultural sector and also to
commit to the support of our local
farmers and the agriculture in-
dustry.
Food security is an important
ingredient in achieving economic
prosperity and the Government
places particular importance on
making agriculture one of the
leading sectors to assist in the
process. We are mindful that agri-
culture has been a driving force
behind some of the leading
emerging economies in the world
and we stand ready and steadfast
in supporting the development of
the industry.
Congratulations on this years
staging of your Agricultural and
Livestock Show and I wish you
every success in making the 2013
Show most exciting and prosper-
ous.
HAGUE AGRICULTURAL
AND FOOD FAIR
An Integral Part of
National Development
T
he agricultural sector is
the platform to facilitate
growth and development
in any society. Given adequate
support in realizing the tremen-
dous potential that this sector has
to offer we will not only be able
to directly contribute to the liveli-
hood of over 200,000 farmers but
also greatly assist in the progres-
sion of the over 2.6 M people
throughout Jamaica.
Our nation has premium in-
digenous agricultural produce
that is unique, globally ranked
and difficult to replicate and
much of Jamaicas strengths res-
onates with agriculture.
The Hague Show offers a
means to promote agriculture and
allows patrons to gain an appre-
ciation of the various develop-
ments within the sector. With the
theme of the show being Re-
search and Development, Tech-
nology Transfer and Investment
in Agriculture It is also expected
that this show will focus on in-
novative means of bringing agri-
culture to the fore through the
demonstration of protective tech-
nology, tissue culture and other
practical means to make the sec-
tor more appealing to the youth,
the future of our nation.
May God continue to bless us
all and give us the fighting spirit
to endure the challenges that face
us and impart practical solutions
to ably assist to make a better Ja-
maica for all.
Portia Simpson Miller
Prime Minister
Norman W. Grant,
President JAS
Jamaicas Strengths
Resonates with Agriculture
Get your copies
of Almanac 2013
923-7471
10 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2013 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM 26 THE AGRICULTURALIST AUGUST 2012 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
BY SYLBURN THOMAS
sylburnthomas@cwjamaica.com
TURMERIC (Curcuma Longa L.)
T
urmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhi-
zomatous perennial plant of the gin-
ger family (Zingeberaceae). The
plant is propagated from its rhizomes which
may vary in length from 5-7.5cm and are
ready for harvesting at about 9-12 months
after planting.
Although turmeric grows in many parts of
Asia, Africa and the Americas, India is the
worlds largest producer, accounting for
80%-85% of global production and 60% of
exports. Turmeric is used mainly in the
food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic/personal
care industries.
In commercial turmeric production sev-
eral key factors must be considered:
1.Location (site) topography, soil and
rainfall; 2.Planning and site preparation -
land preparation, spacing and plant propa-
gation; 3.Planting and maintenance - plant-
ing out, weed control, fertilizing and pest
and disease control.
LOCATION (SITE)
Topography - Turmeric can be grown suc-
cessfully on diverse terrains, ranging from
flat lands, to undulating and slopes. In Ja-
maica, turmeric grows naturally in the up-
land plateau regions and gently undulating
slopes in the parishes of St. James, Hanover,
Westmoreland, Clarendon, St. Thomas,
Portland, St. Mary and St. Andrew. The crop
thrives at elevations from almost sea-level
to about 1,500 metres above sea-level.
Soils-Turmeric thrives best in well-
drained fertile loams and alluvial deposits
rich in organic matter and uniform in tex-
ture. The crop grows best on moderately
acid to neutral soils (pH5.5-7.0) and is sus-
ceptible to waterlogging, especially during
the latter half of the production cycle.
Rainfall - Turmeric requires a warm and
humid climate and is generally grown as a
rain-fed crop but can also be irrigated.
Under rain-fed conditions, the crop requires
about 1,500mm of evenly distributed rain-
fall over an 8-10 month period.
SITE PREPARATION
AND PLANTING
Land preparation -The land should be
cleared of all vegetation and ploughed/har-
rowed to a fine tilth. Fallowing for 30 to 60
days allows weed seeds to germinate and
may reduce microbial load in the upper 2-3
inches of the soil. There are two general
methods of planting turmeric:
Seed beds Beds of convenient length are
formed one metre wide, with a spacing of
30cm between beds. Seed rhizomes (20g -
40g in weight) are planted 25cm across and
30cm along the beds, giving about 133,333
plants per hectare. High density planting of
turmeric requires closer crop management.
Ridges and furrows Furrows are made
45cm-60cm apart and seed rhizomes
planted 20cm apart along the ridges, giving
83,333 to 111,111 plants per hectare. Ap-
proximately 2,500kg of turmeric planting
material is required to cultivate one hectare
at seed weight of 20g-40g (1-2 viable
buds). The lower plating density under fur-
row and ridge system is associated with in-
creased weed population and lower output
per unit area.
PLANT PROPAGATION
Turmeric is propagated asexually from
mother and primary finger rhizomes. There
is no significant yield variation between
mother and primary finger rhizomes of the
same weight, but mother rhizomes tend to
produce earlier and more tillers, which are
effective in weed suppression. Diameter of
daughter/primary finger rhizomes of the
same mass varies positively with yield. Sec-
ondary rhizomes are inferior to mother and
primary rhizomes as planting material.
Turmeric yield varies positively with seed
weight up to 20g, optimizes between 20g
and 40g, and shows no covariation above
40g.
Varieties - In the genus Curcuma, to which
turmeric belongs, over 30 varieties have
been recognised. Currently, not much infor-
mation is available on varieties of turmeric
grown in Jamaica. However, Jamaican
turmeric has been quantitatively confirmed
among medium curcumin varieties.
PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE
Planting out Ideally, the crop should be
planted between March and May during
favourable weather conditions. The fingers
are cut into pieces each 4-5cm long (1-2
buds), and the mother rhizomes are planted
as such or parted into two. The seeds can be
sprouted under moist straw (coir) before
planting. Turmeric may be planted in pure
stand or inter-cropped as the main or sub-
sidiary crop, with varying planting density.
Turmeric should not be intercropped with
allergenic plants such as peanuts and tree
nuts or with host plants of rhizome rot or
bacterial wilt pathogens.
FERTILIZING
Under intensive turmeric production sys-
tems, manures are applied supplementary to
inorganic fertilizers. Manures should at all
times be applied strictly according to good
agricultural practices to avoid adulteration
of the final product. Poultry manure is prob-
ably the most concentrated of all manures
available in Jamaica, containing about
3%N, 3%P2O5 and 2%K2O. Under certain
conditions, particularly on the lighter
bauxitic soils, it is advantageous to use well-
decomposed organic manures at rates of
about five tons per hectare. In addition to
supplying macro nutrients, manures contain
important micro nutrients and also help in
improving soil structure. Biochar is particu-
larly efficient in improving the moisture re-
tention capacity of soils.
Quantity and timing of fertilizers
Turmeric requires 70kg, 50kg and 60kg, of
N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively, per hectare,
which can be derived from organic and or
inorganic fertilizers. The actual application
of fertilizers should be determined from soil
analyses, target yield and expected nutrient
dynamics. With target yield above 22mt/ha,
it is common to supply up to 20% more of
the macronutrients.
Nitrogen (N) is usually the most critical
fertilizer element as far as amounts and tim-
ing are concerned, as it is more rapidly
leached from the soil. It is advisable to
apply nitrogen fertilizers to turmeric fields
three times per crop cycle. Potassium (K),
which is relatively less mobile than nitro-
gen, is applied twice and, Phosphorus (P),
the most immobile of the macronutrients, is
applied once at the time of planting.
About 20% of the N requirement is made
available at the time of planting and the re-
mainder applied as top dressings in two
equal doses; the first dose at 60 days after
planting in combination with 50% of the
K2O requirement and the second dose 30
days later. The Phosphorus (P) fertilizer and
50% of the K2O are placed at planting. Due
to the wide difference in nutrient applica-
tion, straight fertilizers are preferred over
compound NPK formulations in turmeric
cultivation.
Magnesium (Mg) and Calcium (Ca) are
only required on very acid soils (soils with
pH lower than 5.0) and should be applied as
basal soil dressings. It is unlikely that mi-
cronutrients or trace elements deficiencies
will occur in the nutrition of turmeric. How-
ever, where needed, these may be applied as
foliar sprays and responses are usually
rapid.
Several plant hormones and nutritional
products are commercially available to sup-
plement traditional plant nutrition pro-
grams. However, care should be exercise to
prevent agrochemical contamination of the
final product and that the agrochemicals are
approved in the intended export market.
Fertilizer placement - Placing fertilizers is
often more difficult than broadcasting.
However, the advantages are significant,
viz:
Subsurface placement of phosphate fer-
tilizer is more amenable to uptake by roots.
Urea may be used in preference to Am-
monium Sulphate as the Nitrogen source in
the fertilizer programme because of its
higher N content. Subsurface application of
urea reduces volatilization.
Competition from weeds is considerably
reduced with subsurface fertilizing.
Erosion losses of subsurface fertilizer are
negligible.
WEED CONTROL
Mulching the turmeric beds with green
leaves helps to suppress weed growth, re-
tain soil moisture, reduce erosion and pro-
vide nutrients in the decomposed state.
However, during decomposition, nitrogen is
absorbed from the soil and could result in
temporary nitrogen deficiency. For the ben-
efit of weed control, green mulching is done
immediately after planting, and then at 40-
50 days intervals as needed. The economics
and environmental impact of this practice
should be carefully considered. Due to the
high turmeric plant density, weed growth is
considerably suppressed after about 90 days
in the crop cycle. It is customary for weed-
ing to be done about two times during the
crop cycle. To control weeds in the inter-
rows, a suitable selective herbicide may be
used. Mechanically working between the
ridges can control weeds when the crop is
planted in ridge and furrow system.
INSECT PESTS AND DISEASES
In Jamaica, turmeric is not known to be af-
fected by diseases. However, under inten-
sive cultivation, field should be monitored
for any emergence of pests and diseases.
Harvesting is done 9 months after plant-
ing.
TECHNICAL GUIDE
Growing Turmeric for Profit
Turmeric in the field
For further information contact:
Sylburn Thomas, General Manager, Export Division, Ministry of Agriculture
Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston Tel: (876) 9238878 sylburnthomas@cwjamaica.com
Reaped turmeric
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2013 THE AGRICULTURALIST 11
Look Out
For 2013
Book your adver t toToday...
923-7471
editor@theagriculturalist.com
Monsanto Modified-Seed Royalty
Accord Opposed by Brazil Groups
by Agrimoney.com
P
ressure on sugar prices is "unlikely
to fade" until at least the last quar-
ter of 2013, thanks to the boost to
supplies offered by surprisingly strong
Brazilian production, the International
Sugar Organization said.
The organisation raised by more than
2.3m tonnes, to 8.53m tonnes, its forecast
for the surplus in world sugar output in
2012-13. "A higher crop in Brazil has
boosted the surplus further," the ISO said,
lifting by 2.2m tonnes, to 40.3m tonnes,
its estimate for sugar output in the top
producing country.
The estimate for world production in
2012-13 was lifted by 2.81m tonnes to a
record 180.4m tonnes, in raw sugar
terms, well ahead of consumption, for
which the forecast was raised by 470,000
tonnes to 171.8m tonnes.
'Bearish pressure'
The unexpectedly large Brazilian pro-
duction, notably in the key Centre South
region, had been the "most influential"
factor in the continued decline in sugar
prices, which last week hit a 30-month
low, for a spot contract, of 17.87 cents a
pound on New York's Ice futures market.
"Dry weather in the closing months of
Brazil's Centre South harvest allowed
production in the region to race ahead of
market expectations," the ISO said.
And with a "rather low probability of a
return to a deficit phase in the next crop
year", prices look unlikely to recover.
"It seems that the bearish pressure on
world market prices is unlikely to fade,
at least before the end of the current sea-
son in September."
Competition for cane
The ISO's assessment of sugar price and
production forecasts comes despite an es-
timate of a 12% jump in 2013 to 23.9bn
litres in Brazil's output of ethanol, which
competes for cane with sugar in the South
American country.
Ethanol consumption in Brazil is seen
rising by 10.4% to 21.2bn litres.
Many commentators have raised grow-
ing competition between sugar and
ethanol for cane as a major support for
prices of the sweetener, after Brazil re-
vealed it was to raise to 25%, from May
1, the level of ethanol its blenders must
mix into gasoline.
New York's March raw sugar contract
stood down 1.6% at 18.06 cents a pound
in late morning deals, with the better-
trade May lot down 1.5% at 17.85 cents
a pound.
Pressure on sugar prices 'unlikely to fade'
Record chicken
prices bode well
for US producers
by Agrimoney.com
R
ecord chicken prices bode well for
US poultry groups, Sanderson
Farms said, even as it unveiled a
surprise quarterly loss, and warned that
high grain prices will continue to instil a
"challenging cost environment".
The Mississippi-based company warned
that conditions for the US chicken industry
were "still challenging", restating a fore-
cast last week of continued "weak de-
mand" from the food service industry,
besides flagging elevated feed costs.
"We continue to experience high grain
prices, and expect a challenging cost envi-
ronment throughout the fiscal year," Joe
Sanderson, the group's chairman and chief
executive, said.
"Corn supplies are at their tightest level
in 15 years, which will likely keep upward
pressure on grain costs at least until the
market gets some visibility into the quan-
tity and quality of the 2013 crops."
Record prices
However, Mr Sanderson also highlighted
the rise in chicken prices, despite rising
numbers of eggs being placed for growing
into broiler hens, signalling rising output
ahead.
Egg sets, after remaining below year-be-
fore levels for most of 2012, "have trended
higher over the past few weeks", reaching
198.7m in the latest week, up from 197m
the previous week and 194.7m a year ago.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Agri-
culture forecasts domestic broiler meat
production growing by 264m pounds, to
37.3bn pounds this year. "Despite slightly
higher chicken production, market prices
have remained the same or move higher,
indicating at least some improvement in
demand," Mr Sanderson said.
Chicken prices, as measured by the
benchmark Georgia dock rate, reached a
record 100.5 cents a pound for whole
chickens, according to latest weekly data,
up 9.8% year on year.
Feb. 20 (Bloomberg):
B
razilian farmer groups are opposing
a contract that Monsanto Co., the
worlds biggest seed company, is of-
fering farmers to end a dispute over royalty
payments on its genetically modified soy-
bean seeds.
Monsanto is trying to resolve uncertainty
over its ability to collect fees on its new In-
tacta soybeans, which the St. Louis-based
company is scheduled to start selling in
Brazil during the next growing season.
The contract would waive royalties on
Roundup Ready soy, an older technology,
this year and next. In return, farmers would
forgo claims in a patent dispute and pay roy-
alties on seeds not yet on the market. The
future payments are opposed by the Brazil-
ian National Agriculture Federation, a group
of farming associations also known as CNA.
"We reject the individual contracts offered
by Monsanto," Katia Abreu, the head of
CNA, said today in an e-mailed statement.
"We expect Monsanto to take back the con-
tracts that are already signed and present a
new document."
"We are working to understand CNAs
concerns," Kelli Powers, a Monsanto
spokeswoman, said today by phone.
The Parana State Federation of Agricul-
ture, known as FAEP, also said it opposed
the agreement. Glauber Silveira, head of
Brazils soybean growers association, said
farmers shouldnt sign and should continue
pursuing royalty claims in court.
"We believe producers are being tricked
into signing a contract that will get them
trapped to Monsanto for every new technol-
ogy," Silveira said today in a phone inter-
view from Cuiaba, in the state of Mato
Grosso.
Roundup Herbicide
Growers who sign the contract wont pay
a technology fee in the current and subse-
quent growing seasons on soybean seeds
that are genetically modified to tolerate
glyphosate herbicide, Monsanto said in a
statement last month. The herbicide is mar-
keted by Monsanto as Roundup. Farmers
who sign will waive the right to try recoup-
ing royalties previously paid.
The agreement would resolve claims by
growers that the patent on the original
Roundup Ready soybeans expired in 2010,
ending their obligation to pay Monsanto
royalties on the seeds. Monsanto argues that
Brazilian law extends the patent to late
2014.
The companys Intacta seeds are engi-
neered to produce an insecticide while also
tolerating Roundup.
Monsanto suspended royalty collections
in Brazil for two months last year after a
court ordered a halt in Mato Grosso. The
company as told investors not to count on
any revenue from Brazilian soybeans this
year. A forecast made Jan. 8 for profit in the
current fiscal year excluded an estimated 20
cents to 25 cents a share of earnings from
soybean sales in the country.
12 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2013 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
TECHNOLOGY
New Technology Reduces Agricultural Water Consumption
A regular copy in
everybodys interest...
The Agriculturalist
Book your advert...
Tel: 923-7471 Fax: 923-7428
editor@theagriculturalist.com
www.tropicalfarmersalmanac.com
By Erica Gies, Contributor
Independent environment
reporter, founder of
ThisWeekInEarth.com
F
aculty at the University of
Georgia have invented an
easy-to-use, GPS-based
technology that allows farmers to
more accurately target irrigation
needs, reducing water consump-
tion by an average of 15 percent.
Most of our water use worldwide
goes to agriculture, so reducing
that amount will be critical as our
population grows and climate
change makes water supplies less
predictable.
The Ceres Aqua Gauge report I
mentioned yesterday paints that
picture:
The rising global population (es-
timated to grow from 7 billion to
9 billion by mid-century) together
with economic growth in emerg-
ing markets will mean burgeoning
demand for both potable water and
food. Agriculture now accounts
for roughly 70 percent of global
water use, but as dietary changes
in developing countries raise de-
mand for water-intensive foods
such as meat and dairy, this pro-
portion will grow yet higher. With-
out efficiency gains, agricultural
water demand is expected to grow
by 45 percent or an additional
annual 1,400 billion cubic meters
of water per year by 2030.
While historically wet, the South-
east United States have seen per-
sistent drought conditions over the
past decade and legal conflicts
over water. That makes Georgias
Flint River basin, where farmers
grow thirsty cotton, corn, peanuts,
and pecans, a good proving
ground for this technology.
A common method of irrigation
is the center pivot, which projects
water 360 degrees, creating the
crop circles obvious from an air-
plane. The Flint River basin has
6,250 center-pivot systems. The
problem with this technology is
that it sprays water blindly, even
across areas too wet to plant, such
as grass waterways, seasonal wet-
lands, permanent ponds, a lake on
the edge of a field.
Around 2004, University of
Georgia faculty Calvin Perry, Stu-
art Pocknee, and Craig Kvien, de-
veloped variable rate irrigation
(VRI), which allows farmers to se-
lectively turn off specific nozzles
as the pivot crawls over patches
that dont need water.
This year, they made the system
easier for farmers to use. The pre-
vious version required a farmer to
develop a water application map
on a computer, upload that map to
a thumb drive, and transfer it to the
irrigation controller. Using the
new push-button version, he
would just walk his irrigation sys-
tem to one of these areas he wishes
to not apply water push the but-
ton to tell the controller, this is
where this anomaly starts. He
then walks the system to the far
edge of the anomaly, pushes an-
other button, which says, this is
where that ends, said Perry, who
works in the universitys College
of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.
The VRI equipment, sold by
vendor Advanced Ag Systems out
of Dothan, Ala., is expensive:
about $5,000 for a modular, lim-
ited system and up to $30,000 for
a large, full system, according to
Perry, who acknowledged that
most farmers cant afford it.
Calvin D. Perry, research and extension engineer with the Univer-
sity of Georgia, uses a field map to program a variable rate pivot ir-
rigation system.
By Tomio Geron, Forbes Staff
F
armers are the last people
youd expect to have the
latest high technology soft-
ware.
But a new startup, Farmeron,
provides farmers with web-based
tools to make managing their
livestock from their computers
easy.
Farmeron has just raised $1.4
million in seed funding co-led by
Lee Hower of NextView Ven-
tures and Jeff Claviers SoftTech
VC. Other investors include
Reshma Sohoni of Seedcamp,
Dave McClure of 500 Startups,
Robin Klein of The Accelerator
Group and Naval Ravikant. The
company previously went
through the 500 Startups incuba-
tor program in Mountain View,
Calif.
Farmerons CEO Matija Kopic
was born and raised on a farm in
Croatia. He started the company
as a project while in college after
realizing that his father always
had a hard time managing all the
data from his farm. Much of this
data came in large spreadsheets,
which made parsing the data dif-
ficult.
With Farmeron, farmers get a
web-based dashboard that pro-
vides real-time data about their
farms, even down to the level of
each individual cow. This data
could include milk produced,
weight, medical treatments,
health issues, reproduction and so
on. The data is presented in bright
graphs and charts. The company
helps farmers to gather the data
from various sources on their
farm. Typically the data is avail-
able but just needs to be collected
and analyzed, Kopic says.
Kopic visited numerous farms
in Europe to find out what they
needed. While still in Croatia,
Kopic initially raised funding via
AngelList, one of the early start-
ups to take advantage of the angel
funding website.
Farmeron, launched in Novem-
ber last now has 450 corporate
farms using the product.
Farmeron also has a new partner-
ship with Germany-based
Neelsen Agrar, a farm equipment
company with operations in more
than 30 countries. Nellsen Agrar
will help sell Farmeron to its
clients.
COW TECH:
Farmeron Harvests Seed
Funding For Farm Software
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2013 THE AGRICULTURALIST 13
14 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2013 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
For a New Puppy
C
hop any cooked food very finely
NO BONES!
Until 3 months of age the puppy should
be fed four times daily
From 3 to 6 months three times a day
From 6 to 12 months twice a day
Introduce new foods gradually
Always prepare and serve food under
clean conditions
Do not serve hot food let it cool first
Remember milk is not a meal by itself
Provide plenty of fresh water and check
it several times a day
Commercial puppy chow is a balanced
diet, and provides all the minerals and vi-
tamins required by a growing pup. For
the very young ones the feed may be
moistened.
Vaccinations
Vaccinating boosts the immunity of the
animal, and is especially important for
young puppies, as it provides them with
the ability to fight off infection all through
adult life. Ideally, the first vaccination
should be given at 6 weeks, and subse-
quently at three-week intervals until 16
weeks of age. At the same time de-
worming is recommended at 17-21 days,
and then every 3 weeks in conjunction
with vaccination.
Heartworm
This condition is spread by the bite of
mosquitoes, and can be fatal. All animals
should be given regular heartworm pro-
tection medication, especially puppies. A
blood test is performed by 6 months of
age to ensure the animal is clear, the pro-
phylactic is administered, and continued
thereafter on a monthly basis. Routine
testing should be done at least once a year.
Symptoms vary, but common signs are
coughing, weight loss, lack of energy, de-
pression and shortness of breath.
Heartworm can be treated, but the treat-
ment is very expensive, and total rest is a
MUST for at least four weeks afterwards.
There is no guarantee that the animal will
stay free of heartworm, and monthly pro-
phylactics should continue to be given. In
the long run prevention is better, and
cheaper, than cure (J.S.P.C.A.s prices are
very reasonable).
Jamaican Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animal
929-0320: jspca@yahoo.com
www.jspca.info
Pet Care
T
he Rual Agricultural Development Au-
thority (RADA) communicates with
farmers through text messages sent to reg-
istered farmers prior, during and after a dis-
aster to help farmers in managing their
operations. Brochures on disaster preventa-
tive measures are available at the RADA
parish offices and at our website
www.rada.gov.jm .
What farmers should do
before a hurricane:
Check radio weather broadcasts periodi-
cally for latest forecasts and warnings
Maintain drains, check dams, diversion of
ditches as necessary.
Keep fruit trees no more than 15 feet tall
and not overhanging buildings.
Cut back tree branches and open the
canopy so wind passes through readily thus
reducing the level of damage during the
storm.
Reap matured fruits and store in a cool,
dry place for use after the event.
Make a checklist of all farm animals
Remove cattle and small ruminants from
low lying areas to higher ground away from
river banks and areas likely to have land-
slides or flooding.
Stockpile feed and place at least 2 feet
above ground in dry, flood-resistant and
leak-proof areas to last at least one week.
Remove irrigation lines and equipment
and store in area secured from damage.
Establish protected seedling production
centres for early replanting after a hurri-
cane.
During a Hurricane:
Maintain open communications with all
farm personnel
Never prune during the hurricane
Never shelter under a tree during the hur-
ricane. Trees attract lightning and are there-
fore dangerous to humans and livestock.
Stay away from broken branches and up-
rooted trees.
Do not risk your life trying to save ani-
mals from drowning
After a Hurricane:
Call your RADA extension officer, Parish
office, farmers' group representative, Agri-
culture Emergency Operations Centre and
report the damage caused by the hurricane.
Assess property for damage to buildings,
animals, crops, equipment etc.
Be alert and look for fallen or broken high
powered electrical wires which may still be
alive and dangerous.
Do not turn on electrical devices until
proper checks by a competent person con-
firm it is safe to do so.
Dispose of dead animals immediately, by
burial or burning. Report signs of livestock
distress/infection to livestock officer or vet-
erinarian.
In cutting broken or fallen trees, make
sharp, clean cuts at a 45 degree angle to pre-
vent water settling on the cut surface.
For further information, contact your ex-
tension officer, your RADA parish office or
call our toll free number 1-888-ASK-RADA
or 1-888-275-7232.
Hurricane Tips for Farmers
Look Out
For 2013
Book your advert to Today...
923-7471
editor@theagriculturalist.com
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2013 THE AGRICULTURALIST 15
Jamaican Pork
Jamaican Pork
Eat Eat
HARVEYS MEATS
AND FARMS LIMITED
Executive Secretariat
Jamaica Pig Farmers Association
193 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6, Jamaica
Telephone/Fax: (876) 977 0952
E-mail: hq@jamaicapigfarmers.org
Website: www.jamaicapigfarmers.org
A Healthy Choice
This initiative is funded by a grant award from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) World Bank-funded Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI).
The statements |n th|s advertor|a| are the so|e respons|b|||ty of the JPFA and does not reect the v|ews of the Wor|d Bank, JSIF REDI.
RICH IN PROTEIN
PORK FACTS
VALUABLE
SOURCE OF IRON
LESS CALORIES
THAN BEEF OR
CHICKEN
JPFA Capacity Building For Food Safety Compliance And Farm Management Project
Eat Jamaican Pork - A Healthy Choice Eat Jamaican Pork - A Healthy Choice
Eat Jamaican Pork - A Healthy Choice Eat Jamaican Pork - A Healthy Choice
The festive season is once again upon us. As we take time out to worship, spend time with family
and friends, many of us do enjoy a scrumptious piece of pork, ham or other by-products of the pig.
The JPFA thanks you for continuing to choose local pork. Be assured that you are recieving the
best value for taste and nutrition. Our pigs are reared on the highest quality feeds under interna-
tionally accepted production, food safety and environmental protection standards.
Pork provides over 50 products and by-products with essential fatty acids along with fat soluble
vitamins and minerals that are important as part of the daily diet for normal growth and healthy
skin. The calorie content of lean pork is much lower than perceived because of its high protein
content. Pork compares favourably with other meats and poultry for fat, calories and cholesterol.
So, Eat Jamaican Pork: A Healthy Choice.
We want you to continue enjoying the superior eating quality and integrity of Jamaican pork. To
this end, we will unveil our quality seal in the coming weeks. Make that mark your warranty for
choice pork and the guaranteed standard for local pork. It is our goal to increase pork consumption
by 10% in 2013. We welcome your continued support to achieve this goal. Join us in support of our
Jamaican farmers. Join us to strengthen our food security strategies.
May you have a porkfect holiday season and all the best for the coming year.
Angella Bardowell (Mrs)
President
Jamaica Pig Farmers Association (JPFA)
Merry Christmas from the Executive and members of the JPFA!
























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Pork provides over 50 products and
by-products with essential fatty acids
along with fat soluble vitamins and min-
erals that are important as part of the
daily diet for normal growth and
healthy skin. The calorie content of lean
pork is much lower than perceived be-
cause of its high protein content. Pork
compares favourably with other meats
and poultry for fat, calories and cho-
lesterol.
Eat Jamaican Pork:
A Healthy Choice.
16 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2013 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM