Food Imports
VOL. 27 NO. 1 MARCH 2017
Out Performing
Local Production
J Agro Processing
By Patrick Maitland
Editor-The Agriculturalist
amaicas traditional export crops are facing major
threats as imported food products continue to out
perform local production, accounting for up to 40% of
the islands $840.9 million food imports in 2015.
The island is now a net im-
porter of several raw and manufac-
tured products including rice, sugar,
coffee, cocoa, citrus, banana, pi-
mento and ginger, as well as fish,
milk, meat and other livestock prod-
ucts, according to the Statistical In-
stitute of Jamaica.
With a declining stock of 6,500
heads of cattle, the island struggled
to produce 12 million litres of milk
in 2015, however imported
skimmed milk powder, evaporated
milk, whole milk, condensed milk
and other dairy products totaled al-
most 17 million kg at a value of
over US$50 million to satisfy the
local demand.
Jamaica produced a meager
906,000 kg of goat and sheep meat
in 2015, but imported a frightening
2,426,617 kg of the meats in vari-
ous form of preparation, which cost
US$11,000,940. Jamaica has the
ideal condition and good breeding
stock to successfully rear goat and
sheep, however, the hard work of
small ruminant farmers are always
affected by farm thieves.
backs. Chicken leg quarters and
the local farmers are well protected
Jamaica is now
a net importer
of several raw and
the manufactured
products including
sugar, coffee, cocoa,
citrus, pimento and
ginger, fish, milk,
meat and other
livestock products
______________________
A shocking 14,943,198 kg of
fish and other marine foods includ-
ing snapper, croaker, grouper, dol-
phin fish (mahimahi, dorado) and
Banga Mary, fresh or chilled, val-
ued at US$57,408,760 were im-
ported, while local Aquaculture
(Tilapia, Shrimp) and Marine (Fish,
Conch, Lobster, Shrimp) producers
struggled to produce 13,610,000 kg
during 2015.
FREE COPY WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
KARL SAMUDA
Just over US$21.69 million
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries
was used to import 31,965,275 kg
Industry to be
of the popular chicken neck and
other poultry meat are often im-
Expanded
ported, however, with very high im-
port taxes imposed by government,
from cheaper imports.
Despite the 2015 STATINS
data showing the importation of
14,781 kg of cuts of swine prepared
or preserved nesoi, which is valued
Story on page 4
at US$4,206,690, pig farmers
claimed they are facing problem
selling their pork and blame im-
ports.
Refined sugar, icing sugar,
sugar Nesoi, edible cane molasses
and other related products top the
list with almost 67,562,387 kg val-
ued at US$34 million that were im-
ported in 2015. However, the island
earned over US$78 million from
53,810,000 kg of sugar exported
during the period.
Jamaican spice, including
turmeric, pimento and ginger, are in
high demand because of their high
potency and taste, nevertheless,
local production continues to lag be-
hind thus providing the opportunity
for imports. During the year under
review, some US$75.1 m, US$18.3
m, and US$31.3 m, were used to im-
port turmeric, pimento and ginger,
respectively. Continued on page 4
2 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2017 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

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Active Ingredient: Silicon Dioxide
Controls insects such as White flies, Aphids, Thrips, Caterpillars,
Mites and Ants in crops such as Leaf Vegetables, Cabbage,
Cauliflower, Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Eggplants, Carrots,
Potatoes, Melon, Cucumber, Ornamentals, Banana, Plantain, Sugar
Cane, Pasture, Mangoes, Fruit Trees, Papaya, Pineapple, Citrus,
Coffee and Cocoa. Controls insects such as Weevils, and Grain Moth
in stored grains. Also controls Red Poultry Mite, Darkling Beetles,
Ants, Spiders, Scorpions, Centipedes, Cockroaches, Beetles, Weevils
and other crawling insects in animal husbandry.

Jamaica must focus on feeding
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
todays generation and the next
A few years ago, the world was fac-
ing volatile food prices and price
spikes on various commodities such as
rice, flour, sugar, milk and fruits and
vegetables. We were all fretting and
everybody was beginning to see the
wisdom of agriculture and the need to
feed ourselves.
According to the World Food Or-
ganization (WFO), the world needs to
produce at least 50 percent more food
to feed 9 billion people by 2050. But
climate change could cut crop yields
by more than 25 percent.
The land, biodiversity, oceans,
forests, and other forms of natural cap-
ital are being depleted at unprece-
dented rates.
The WFO warns that unless we
change how we grow our food and
manage our natural capital, food secu-
rity -- especially for the worlds poor-
est -- will be at risk.
Dont treat soil like dirt!
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 com-
ments or suggestions to editor@theagriculturalist.com. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all articles will be published.
T he issues of climate change, land
degradation, and sustainable agricul-
ture are among the most important chal-
lenges of the 21st century. For instance, it
is estimated that approximately 75 billion
tonnes of crop soils are lost worldwide to
erosion by wind and water and through
agricultural activities; all this at an esti-
mated cost of US$400 billion per year.
Land degradation is of special impor-
tance as soils have long been recognized as
a limited natural resource and are neces-
sary to support life on earth.
By declaring 2015 as the International
Year of Soils, the United Nations General
Assembly, has declared its recognition of
the critical role of soil in supporting human
and environmental health. Despite these
roles and potential there is little legislative
framework in place at the global scale
aimed at protecting the ground beneath our
feet.
Notwithstanding that, 193 countries of
the United Nations General Assembly re-
cently reached an agreement, that in order
to achieve sustainable development by the
year 2030, 17 sustainable development
goals (SDGs) with 169 associated targets
which are integrated and indivisible should
be adopted. Of the 17 goals, four contains
targets that are specifically related to soils.
EDITORIAL
In the case of Jamaica, we are
not sure of our total food
needs and what percent are
being produced locally.
However, if the island is
spending an average annual
US$914 million to import
basic food items, we are
heading towards starvation --
if and when the supply is cut.
We often attribute reasons
for a shortage of food to not
enough food being produced
and crop failure because of
drought, pests, or too much
moisture. But the problem can
result from the uneven distribu-
tion of the islands resource en-
dowment and simple bad
government policy.
As we analyze the food import
data supplied by the Statistical Institute
of Jamaica, we are astonished by the
OPINIONS
Adrian Spence, PhD.
International Centre for
Environmental and Nuclear Sciences
adrian.spence02@uwimona.edu.jm
Soils represent a complex mixture of
organic and inorganic as well as living and
non-living components interacting to form
biogeochemical interfaces. In soils, organic
matter is referred to as soil organic matter
(SOM) spans a continuum from fresh to
progressively degraded mineral-associated
plant- and microbial-derived compounds,
and represents a major portion of the total
carbon in the terrestrial environment.
amounts of items, including fresh
and processed foods, that with
a little effort or resources we
could save millions in for-
eign exchange.
For example, we
could produce more of our
goat meat and manufacture
more Jamaican home-grown
spices such as turmeric, pi-
mento and ginger.
Nevertheless, as part of the global
economy, Jamaican agriculture
also suffered under the so-called
Structural Adjustment Programs
(SAPs) of the 1980s-90s imposed by
the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund, which saw the dis-
mantling commodity boards, elimi-
nating price guarantees, closing and
breaking down tariffs, and deregulat-
ing agricultural markets.
SOM plays a crucial role in the global
carbon balance by modulating biogeo-
chemical processes and the exchange of
greenhouse gases (GHGs) with the atmos-
phere. As a result, soil carbon sequestration
is important in restricting global warming
to below 2C.
Currently, the global soil carbon pool
is estimated to be between 3,500 and 4,800
Pg (1Pg [petagram] = 1015g), making it
several times larger than the biotic pool and
atmospheric pool combined. However, it
remains unclear how this vast pool of car-
bon will respond to future climate change.
In addition to its role as a buffer
against climate change, one of the most
fundamental functions of SOM is the pro-
vision of metabolic energy, which acts as a
driver for soil biological processes. SOM
is also essential for maintaining a number
of physical (structure, porosity, colour and
water holding capacity), chemical (cation
exchange capacity, pH), and biological
(nutrient source) functions.
It is also essential in soil aggregate for-
mation and the sequestration of both or-
ganic and inorganic contaminants (e.g.
heavy metals). It therefore means that,
even small changes in the quality and/or
quantity of SOM could significantly affect
the capacity of soils to perform these criti-
cal functions.
MARCH 2017 THE AGRICULTURALIST 3
At the time, Jamaica and other
countries were also flooded with sub-
sidized grain and milk from the U.S.
that were sold at prices far under the
cost of production.
However, we are learning from our
past and must now focus on feeding
todays and the next generation. Ja-
maica cannot achieve sustainable
growth or prosperity without a solid
agricultural enterprise programme.
The priority must be set on food
needs and how much of that food can
be economically grown locally. In the
next step, we must identify who will be
producing the food and resources
needed to get the job done.
But, the allocation of resources --
land, capital and people -- is always the
most important task if we are serious
about feeding the people.
Patrick Maitland
patrick@theagriculturalist.com
Soil organic carbon (SOC), which
makes up approximately 60% of the global
SOM pool, has; therefore, been included in
the monitoring of SDG 15.3.1.
It follows that, if we are to take maxi-
mum advantage of the agro-ecological
functions of soils (i.e. climate change adap-
tation and mitigation and various ecosys-
tem services), they must be managed using
a suite of sustainable soil management
techniques.
Publisher & Editor:
Patrick Maitland
Consulting Editors:
Vincent Wright, Jairzenho Bailey
Produced & Published by:
Agri Life Foundation Ltd
AMC Complex,
188 Spanish Town Road,
Kingston 11, Jamaica, W.I.
Tel: (876) 923-7471 923-7428
agriculturalist@gmail.com
editor@theagriculturalist.com
www.theagriculturalist.com

4 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2017
Obituaries
Carlton Edison
R
C-Lew Lewis
etired agriculturalist Carlton Edison
"C-Lew" Lewis, 63 died January
30, 2017 at the St. Ann's Bay Public Hos-
pital where he was taken for emergency
treatment, after suffering a massive heart
attack at home.
Lewis gave many years of unstint-
ing and dedicated service to the Ministry
of Agriculture, in its several iterations,
and the Bauxite - Alumnia sector. He was
the land aquisition officer for then Kaiser
Bauxite Company and the NORANDA
Jamaica Bauxite Company where he
served as Mining Superintendent prior to
his retirement.
Lewis is survived by his wife-
Claudette; son-Andre; 4 sisters; 4 broth-
ers; 4 stepchildren; nieces, nephews and
other relatives and friends.
A
----------------------------
Ronald Ron Duncan
griculturalist Ronald Ron Duncan
died on February 17, 2017, after los-
ing a valiant battle with Cancer.
A graduate of the former Jamaica
School of Agriculture (JAS) Ron gave
many years of unstinting and dedicated
service to the Ministry of Agriculture, at
the Grove Place agricultural station.
He then moved on to make sterling con-
tributions the publishing, life insurance
and landscaping industries.
T
-----------------------------
Jennifer Samuda
he CASE Alumni Association ex-
presses sincere and heartfelt condo-
lences to Ole Farmer Lloyd Samuda
(Class of 1976) on the recent passing of
Jennifer, his dear wife and lifelong partner
of over 40 years, who made the transition
to be with her maker on the night of Tues-
day February 21, 2017, in Florida, USA
where she was undergoing treatment for a
medical condition.
Jennifer Samuda spent about 10 years in
commercial banking after which she
founded Jencare Skin Farm and Spa
which is currently located at 82 Hope
Road, Kingston 6, and has spent the past
thirty three years as one of the leaders in
Jamaica's Aesthetics and skin care indus-
try. She will be sadley missed.
NEWS
Agro Processing Industry to be Expanded
M
By Rochelle Williams
JIS
inister of Industry, Commerce, Agri-
culture and Fisheries, Karl Samuda,
says the Government is focusing on ex-
panding the local agro processing industry,
as part of its job creation strategy.
Samuda noted that while there has
been a modest level of development in the
sector, additional resources are needed for
expansion and growth of the local agro in-
dustry, which offers tremendous opportu-
Banana Board Looking to Boost Exports
nity for job creation and entrepreneurial
activity.
JANET CONIE
General Manager, Banana Board
T
By Douglas McIntosh, JIS
he Banana Board is targeting further in-
crease in exports by year-end, says the
entitys General Manager, Janet Conie.
Conie noted that exports have been in-
creasing steadily since being resumed in 2011
after a three-year break consequent to the sec-
tors devastation by Hurricane Gustav in
2008.
Exports further increased to 211 tonnes
in 2014; 312 tonnes in 2015; and 410 tonnes
of the fruit were shipped in 2016.
The Banana Board is targeting further
increase in exports by year-end, says the en-
titys General Manager, Janet Conie.
She said the prospects are positive, as Ja-
maica has received queries from several
countries, particularly in Europe, regarding
potential export arrangements.
She was speaking with JIS News fol-
lowing a tour of farms and facilities in Port-
land and St. Mary on February 22 that are
benefiting under the European Union (EU)
Jamaica Banana Accompanying Measures
(JBAM) programme.
Conie noted that exports have been in-
creasing steadily since being resumed in 2011
after a three-year break consequent to the sec-
tors devastation by Hurricane Gustav in
2008.
She said following slow starts in 2011
and 2012, activities picked up in 2013 when
78 tonnes of the fruit were exported.
Exports further increased to 211 tonnes
in 2014; 312 tonnes in 2015; and 410 tonnes
of the fruit were shipped in 2016.
The sector currently has approximately
3,500 acres of land being cultivated by some
2,000 farmers.
In his address to members of the
Diplomatic Corps on February 8 at The Ja-
maica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, Mr.
Samuda spoke of the merits of the industry,
which converts raw materials from primary
to secondary products for maximum profit.
Samuda noted that while there has
been a modest level of development in the
sector, additional resources are needed for
expansion and growth of the local agro in-
dustry, which offers tremendous opportu-
nity for job creation and entrepreneurial
activity.
He listed several crops which have
Conie said the fruit, which is supplied
through Board-certified farmers/exporters, is
shipped mainly to the Cayman Islands,
Canada, and occasionally to the United King-
dom, pointing out that these are good niche
markets (where) we are getting good prices.
Conie noted, however, that Jamaicas
ability to capitalise on and fulfil the growing
overseas demand for banana is contingent, to
a great extent, on local suppliers and produc-
ers attaining GLOBAL Good Agricultural
Practices (GAP) certification.
Global GAP is the worldwide organisa-
tion that assures the implementation of safe,
sustainable agricultural practices worldwide.
It does so by setting voluntary standards
for the certification of products while creating
incentives for producers to adopt safe and
sustainable practices.
Food Imports Out Performing
Conie said this engagement is being car-
Local Production
Continued from page 1
Some 5,592,827 kg of cocoa products, in-
cluding cocoa paste wholly or partly defat-
ted, cocoa powder and other preparations in
blocks slabs or bars valued at
US$22,880,924, were imported. With the
local production in 2015 estimated at 637,000
kg and earnings of US$403,000, Jamaicas
cocoa will continue to lag behind, as there are
no immediate solutions to the Frosty Pod Rot
disease and other challenges facing farmers.
An estimated volume of 626,108 kg of
coffee beans to be used for blending, instant,
other process coffee as well as extracts
essences and concentrates of coffee were im-
ported in 2015, at a cost of US$3,324,311.
Meanwhile, Jamaica produced and exported
567,000 kg of coffee albeit a higher earnings
of US$25,628,400 million. Data shows that
in 2015 import volumes of coffee beans ex-
ceed export volumes of 59,108 kg and the
gaps is estimated to widen significantly in
2016 and 2017.
The Statistical Institute of Jamaica also
revealed that the importation of fruits and
vegetables are very popular in the markets.
Melon, cantaloupe, cucumber, cabbage, let-
tuce, red peas, irish potato and carrot con-
tinue to top the list of imported fruits and
vegetables. In the case of Onions fresh and
chilled, 7,774,539 kg was imported from the
Netherlands.
The natural juice market is almost 90
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
been identified for increased production, in
an effort to further develop the agro pro-
cessing industry.
We are expanding the production of
peppers, sweet potato and onions and we
are also doing our best to get a healthy crop
of sugar cane. Everything we do, we think
of applying to the value added aspect, the
Minister said.
Development of the agro industry is
being done under the World Bank-funded
Rural Economic Development Initiative
(REDI), which is being implemented by the
Jamaica Social Investment Fund. .
ried out by the Board through the Banana Ex-
port Expansion Programme (BEEP), which is
supported under JBAM.
She explained that the programme pro-
vides farmers with a number of benefits tai-
lored to enhance their operations and position
them for certification, thereby enabling them
to export. These include infrastructure, such
as designated storage facilities for pesticides,
insecticides, fertiliser and other inputs. Farm-
ers are also required to erect packing areas
and install irrigation networks, among other
things.
This is being complemented by the in-
troduction of tissue cultures for new and ex-
isting varieties of bananas aimed at boosting
production. Conie said implementation of
BEEP is expected to be completed this year,
as only 50 per cent of the project is under
way.
percent imports, as mango, passion fruit, or-
ange juice, sour sop and apple are being
shipped as processed frozen juice concen-
trated thus avoiding import duties and phy-
tosanitary regulations.
As it relates to frozen orange juice con-
centrated, Trinidad and Tobago joins Belize,
Costa Rica and the USA in supplying
2,109,795 kg valued at US$6,295,537 in
2015. For Tamarind juice, 2.1 m kg costing
US$5.8 million, were also imported.
Rice is very popular in the Jamaican
diet, in spite of this, up to 97 percent of the
commodity or 92.56 million kg, is being im-
ported at a cost of US$48.13 million. Some
three decades ago, the island supplied up to
10 percent of it rice needs. Nonetheless, only
sporadic efforts are being considered to en-
courage local production of rice.
In 2015, a total of 318,848 kg of the ba-
nana fruit valued at US$291,839 was ex-
ported, compared with 1,687,905 kg of
imported banana products including banana
chips, valued at US $8.9 million.
However, during the period, Jamaicas
total banana production was 54,576,200 kg.
Since August 2008, banana exports from Ja-
maica declined significantly following the
closure of Eastern Banana Estate.
Since 2010, Jamaicas annual average
agricultural/food export stood at US$218
million, while food import spiraled to
US$914 million.
 Coffee Board fires lawyer, demotes CEO
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2017 THE AGRICULTURALIST 5

T he Coffee Industry Board (CIB) re-

cently fired its legal officer and com-
pany secretary, Maria Gayle and demoted
CEO Steve Robinson for failing to pro-
vide adequate insurance coverage and
lied about the nature and extent of the in-
surance coverage on the coffee stored at
its warehouse on Marcus Garvey Drive in
Kingston, which was damaged by flood-
waters on September 9, 2016.
This came to light when the board
made a claim on General Accident Insur-
ance Company Jamaica Limited for an
estimated US$3 million worth of coffee
damaged by the floodwaters. General Ac-
cident refused to pay on the grounds that
the claims were inconsistent with the
value and terms of the insurance cover-
age.
"From what I understand, we did not
have adequate insurance for the installa-
tion there that we have ... and that's the
responsibility of the administrative staff,
and so in a situation like that, there are
consequences. We recognise that mis-
takes do occur, but when mistakes cause
the level of damage that threatens the sta-
bility of the organisation, there are con-
sequences, and so as a result of that
principle, the action was deemed appro-
priate by the board," Minister of Industry,
Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries
Karl Samuda said.
Gusland McCook, manager of the MARIA GAYLE STEVE ROBINSON
Advisory Services, CIB has been ap- Former legal officer and Former CEO, reverted
company secretary, CIB chief accountant
pointed acting director general, replacing
Robinson, who reverted to his substantive after the board of directors fired Gayle. company secretary in the interim.
post of chief accountant last Friday, a day Pamela Hutchinson-Johnson will serve as

Jamaica Producers
profit jumps
Coffee Talk:
to $4.3 billion
Coffee Industry Board (CIB) chairman
Sylburn Thomas (3rd l) and director Clin-

J
ton Smith (4th l) pose with (l-r) Ricardo
Courtesy of Avia Collinder Allicook, Jamaican ambassador to
www.jamaicaobserver.com Japan and Yutaka Nishibayashi, CEO of
amaica Producers Group Ltd (JP) earned Wataru & Co., Limited during an official
net profits of $4.3 billion for the year visit to Japan (January 21-28) on the in-
ended December 31, 2016, compared to
vitation of the Association of Japanese
$614.57 million the year before.
Importers of Jamaican Coffee (AJIJC) to
The earnings were made on record
get a better understanding of factors af-
revenues of $12.1 billion up from $8.7 bil-
fecting the demand side of Jamaican
Blue Mountain Coffee with a view to im-
lion- an increase of 39 per cent year over pact the supply side in a manner that will
year, with a significant contributor being create stability and advance the interest
the recognition of Kingston Wharves Lim- of the coffee industry.
ited (KWL) as a subsidiary.
Group chairman Charles Johnston said
the group is also reaping the rewards of a
series of initiatives including investment in
the business of logistics, and deployment
of an acquisition strategy to build a diver-
sified international specialty food and drink
group.
JP Food & Drink Division com-
prising companies engaged in farming,
food processing, distribution and retail of
food and drink with production facilities in
Europe and the Caribbean earned year-
to-date revenues of $8 billion, up 10 per
cent over the prior year.
Johnston noted that JP Tropical Foods,
a snack and fresh produce business, was
adversely affected by poor farm yields dur-
ing 2016 as a result of a significant increase
in rainfall and other challenging weather
conditions in St Mary.
He said banana production and sales
are recovering, but typically take a nine-
month cycle to return to their peak. Other-
wise, the division continues to experience
revenue growth in its pineapple business
and export growth in snacks.
JPs Corporate Services segment a
group financing, investment and corporate
management operation earned a profit
before interest and taxation of $3.4 billion
in 2016.
This result includes the gain from di- HI-PRO CHAMPION FARMER:
vestment of Mavis Bank Coffee Factory Carlton Smith holds the cham-
during the third quarter and the gain on pion beef farmers trophy
recognition of KWL as a subsidiary during which he won at the annual
the second quarter. Hague Agricultural Show 2017
The group plans to relocate all head held last Wednesday in
office activities from Oxford Road to its Trelawney and was sponsored
food production complex in Cross Roads by Hi-Pro Farm Supplies.
and to Newport West.
6 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2017 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
 INTERNATIONAL
Bee decline threatens US crop production
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
A
CALIFORNIA:
new study of wild bees identifies 139
counties in key agricultural regions of
California, the Pacific Northwest, the Mid-
west, west Texas and the Mississippi River
valley that face a worrisome mismatch be-
tween falling wild bee supply and rising crop
pollination demand.
The first-ever study to map U.S. wild
bees suggests they are disappearing in the
country's most important farmlands -- from
California's Central Valley to the Midwest's
corn belt and the Mississippi River valley.
If wild bee declines continue, it could
hurt U.S. crop production and farmers' costs,
said Taylor Ricketts, a conservation ecologist
at the University of Vermont, at the Ameri-
can Association for the Advancement of Sci-
ence (AAAS) annual meeting panel, Plan
Bee: Pollinators, Food Production and U.S.
Policy on Feb. 19.
"This study provides the first national
picture of wild bees and their impacts on pol-
lination," said Ricketts, Director of UVM's
Gund Institute for Ecological Economics,
noting that each year $3 billion of the U.S.
Legal marijuana sales creating
economy depends on pollination from native
pollinators like wild bees.
escalating damage to the environment
M
Courtesey of Science Daily,
www.sciencedaily.com
arijuana sales have created an eco-
nomic boom in U.S. states that have
fully or partially relaxed their cannabis laws,
but is the increased cultivation and sale of
this crop also creating escalating environ-
mental damage and a threat to public health?
In an opinion piece published by the
journal Environmental Science and Tech-
nology, researchers from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Lancaster
University in the U.K. have called on U.S.
federal agencies to fund studies that will
gather essential environmental data from the
legal cultivation farms and facilities.
This information could then be used to
help U.S. states minimize any environmen-
tal and public health damage caused by this
burgeoning industry and aid legal marijuana
growers in making their business environ-
mentally sustainable.
State-by-state legalization is effectively
creating a new industry in U.S., one that
looks set to rival all but the largest of current
businesses. In Colorado alone, sales rev-
enues have reached $1 billion, roughly equal
to that from grain farming in the state. By
2020 it is estimated that country-wide legal
marijuana sales will generate more annual
revenue than the National Football League.
But the article, titled "High Time to As-
sess the Environmental Impacts of Cannabis
Cultivation" co-authored by William
Vizuete, associate professor of environment
sciences and engineering at UNC's Gillings
School of Global Public health and Kirsti
Ashworth, research fellow at Lancaster Uni-
At AAAS, Ricketts briefed scholars,
policy makers, and journalists on how the na-
tional bee map, first published in the Pro-
ceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences in late 2015, can help to protect
wild bees and pinpoint habitat restoration ef-
forts.
At the event, Ricketts also introduced a
new mobile app that he is co-developing to
help farmers upgrade their farms to better
support wild bees.
"Wild bees are a precious natural re-
source we should celebrate and protect," said
Ricketts, Gund Professor in UVM's Ruben-
stein School of Environment and Natural Re-
sources. "If managed with care, they can help
us continue to produce billions of dollars in
agricultural income and a wonderful diver-
sity of nutritious food."
Man in Marijuana Field in Jamaica - Greg Weeks Photography
versity's Lancaster Environment Centre say
that this expanded cultivation carries with it
serious environmental effects.
Their article points out that cannabis is
an especially needy crop requiring high tem-
peratures (25-30 C for indoor operations),
strong light, highly fertile soil and large vol-
umes of water -- around twice that of wine
grapes. In addition, the authors state that the
few available studies of marijuana cultiva-
tion have uncovered potentially significant
environmental impacts due to excessive
water and energy demands and local con-
tamination of water, air, and soil.
TROUBLE ZONES
The map identifies 139 counties in key
agricultural regions of California, the Pacific
Northwest, the upper Midwest and Great
Plains, west Texas, and Mississippi River
valley, which appear to have most worrisome
mismatch between falling wild bee supply
and rising crop pollination demand.
These counties tend to be places that
grow specialty crops -- like almonds, blue-
berries and apples -- that are highly depend-
ent on pollinators. Or they are counties that
grow less dependent crops -- like soybeans,
canola and cotton -- in very large quantities.
Of particular concern, some crops most
dependent on pollinators -- including pump-
kins, watermelons, pears, peaches, plums, ap-
ples and blueberries -- appeared to have the
strongest pollination mismatch, growing in
areas with dropping wild bee supply and in-
creasing in pollination demand.
Globally, more than two-thirds of the
most important crops either benefit from or
require pollinators, including coffee, cacao,
and many fruits and vegetables.
Pesticides, climate change and diseases
threaten wild bees -- but their decline may be
caused by the conversion of bee habitat into
cropland, the study suggests. In 11 key states
where the map shows bees in decline, the
For example, a study of illegal outdoor
grow operations in northern California found
that rates of water extraction from streams
threatened aquatic ecosystems. High levels
of growth nutrients, as well as pesticides,
herbicides and fungicides, also found their
way back into the local environment, further
damaging aquatic wildlife.
Controlling the indoor growing envi-
ronment requires considerable energy with
power requirements estimated to be similar
to that of Google's massive data centers. No
significant data has been collected on the air
pollution impacts on worker's public health
MARCH 2017 THE AGRICULTURALIST 7
amount of land tilled to grow corn spiked by
200 percent in five years -- replacing grass-
lands and pastures that once supported bee
populations.
RISING DEMAND, FALLING SUPPLY
Over the last decade, honeybee keepers
facing colony losses have struggled with ris-
ing demand for commercial pollination serv-
ices, pushing up the cost of managed
pollinators -- and the importance of wild
bees.
"Most people can think of one or two
types of bee, but there are 4,000 species in
the U.S. alone," said Insu Koh, a UVM post-
doctoral researcher who co-hosted the AAAS
panel and led the study.
"When sufficient habitat exists, wild
bees are already contributing the majority of
pollination for some crops," Koh adds. "And
even around managed pollinators, wild bees
complement pollination in ways that can in-
crease crop yields."
A team of seven researchers -- from
UVM, Franklin and Marshall College, Uni-
versity of California at Davis, and Michigan
State University -- created the maps by first
identifying 45 land-use types from two fed-
eral land databases, including croplands and
natural habitats.
inside these growing facilities or the degra-
dation of outdoor air quality due to emis-
sions produced by the industrial scale
production of marijuana.
The authors emphasize, however, much
of the data on marijuana cultivation to date
has come from monitoring illegal cannabis
growing operations.
Dr Ashworth of Lancaster Environment
Centre said: "The illegal status of marijuana
has prevented us from understanding the
detrimental impacts that this industrial scale
operation has on the environment and public
health."
"This is an industry undergoing a his-
toric transition, presenting an historic op-
portunity to be identified as a progressive,
world-leading example of good practice and
environmental stewardship."
The continued expansion of legalization
by the states does offer significant opportu-
nities for the US Department of Agriculture,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
National Institutes of Health (NIH, and Oc-
cupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) to fund research into legal cannabis
cultivation to protect the environment.
"Generating accurate data in all the
areas we discussed offers significant poten-
tial to reduce energy consumption and envi-
ronmental harm, protect public health and
ultimately, improve cultivation methods,"
said Dr Vizuete . "There are also significant
potential public health issues caused by
emissions from the plants themselves rather
than smoking it. These emissions cause both
indoor and outdoor air pollution."

8 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2017
A Must For Livestock Farmers
R ecord keeping is a critical activity re-
quired for the success of any business,
including the business of agriculture. Al-
though a necessary tool, it is surprising that
this area of business is often overlooked by
farmers much to the detriment of their agri-
cultural enterprises.
The cultural norm for most Jamaican
farmers appears to be an over reliance on
memory recall and in a few cases, nota-
tions made in personal diaries or on calen-
dars, which are often times easily
discarded or misplaced. This results in the
loss of critical data and the generation of
unreliable information for making projec-
tions or on farm calibration related to feed,
watering etc.
Issues regarding economic analysis on
investments, on farm practices and the
tracking of items through the value chain
(from farm to fork) requires a more struc-
tured and systematic approach to docu-
mentation. Therefore, a reeducation
regarding the importance of records, the
types of records to be maintained and the
significance it holds in the transformation
from subsistence mode of farming to a
profitable venture has now become one of
the primary activities of the Rural Agricul-
tural Development Authority (RADA)
Livestock Unit.
It is estimated that approximately 30-
40% of poultry consumed in Jamaica is
produced by backyard operators. These
backyard operations produce a minimum
of 25 to in a few cases more than 4,000
birds every six weeks.
Small ruminant development, more
significantly goat rearing is another target
group with great potential for local and in-
ternational markets. Therefore, to facilitate
the required documentation to enhance the
development of these groups, two record
books were developed by the RADA for
broiler and goat farmers respectively.
These user friendly record keeping books
have made the recording of data simple
and manageable.
The books provide farmers with pro-
duction targets to track their success and
entry possibilities for data on their flock or
individual animals to guide the decision
making process.
Rural Agricultural
Development Authority
Hope Gardens, Kingston 6
Tel: 876-977-1158-62
Fax: 876-970-4660
executive@rada.gov.jm
www.rada.gov.jm
RADA - EXTENSION FOCUS
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM
Recording Keeping
The broiler record keeping book pro-
vides simple tables for entering basic in-
formation such as; the number of birds that
are being produced, quantity of feed being
utilized, number of birds reaching maturity
and their average weight.
There are also entries to be made on
the health status of the flock and financial
data related to expenditure and sales made,
which will assist in determining profit mar-
gins. Examples of simple but relevant cal-
culations have also been included to assist
farmers in utilizing the data they have gath-
ered to make informed decisions.
The goat record keeping book allows
the farmer to track the progress of his ani-
mals inclusive of does, bucks and kids.
Critical information on the kids regarding
birth weight, weaning weight, breed, num-
ber of kids, including gender will make it
easier to ensure that the best animals are
maintained for continued breeding.
Sales and purchase entries are also
possible, including the health information
of the herd. The practical examples of cal-
culations contained within the book will
make it a must have within the tool kit of
any small ruminant farmer.
Those farmers already in possession
of these record keeping books can attest to
the efficiency gains the have been able to
realize simply by keeping proper records.
The book as long as it is maintained prop-
erly, also provides farmers with the neces-
sary documentation regarding the proof of
ownership to retrieve stolen animals re-
covered by the security forces.
Hard copies of these books are made
available through RADA with soft copies
accessible on the website.
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2017 THE AGRICULTURALIST 9

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Cassava farmers showing interest in Red Stripes project
C
By Chad Bryan, JIS
assava farmers contracted under Red
Stripes Project Grow, have been showing
a keen interest in the beer manufacturers vision
of substituting imported high maltose corn
syrup (HMCS), with locally produced cassava
starch in the brewing process.
Under Project Grow, Red Stripe aims to
substitute 40 per cent of its HMCS imports with
cassava starch by 2020.
Red Stripe chose to utilize cassava based
on its ease to process and the fact that it would
not affect the signature beers taste and colour.
Cassava farmers contracted under Red
Stripes Project Grow, have been showing a
keen interest in the beer manufacturers vision
of substituting imported high maltose corn
syrup (HMCS), with locally produced cassava
starch in the brewing process.
Local Raw Materials Business Develop-
ment Manager at Red Stripe, Dr. Cavell Fran-
cis-Rhiney, told JIS News that there has so far
been an oversubscription for what we would
need right now.
The buy-in of the farmers has been really
good. We are very heartened that farmers are re-
ally interested in growing (cassava). We have to
be keeping the farmers informed and to let them
know that well soon be getting around to their
group, she said.
MARCH 2017 THE AGRICULTURALIST 11
Agri ministry gets
seed production
boost from CARDI:
Minister without Portfolio in the
Ministry of Industry, Com-
merce, Agriculture and Fish-
eries, J.C. Hutchinson (2nd
right) examines a Laminar
Flow Hood used to create ster-
ile conditions at the handover
by the Caribbean Agricultural
Research and Development In-
stitute (CARDI) of equipment
and material to boost the Min-
istrys seed production capac-
ity. Along with the Minister, at
the January 11, 2017 event at
the Ministrys Hope Gardens
offices, are (l-r) Donovan Stan-
berry, permanent secretary;
Barton Clarke, Executive Di-
rector and Dionne Clarke Har-
ris, project manager CARDI;
Stefano Cilli, Agricultural At-
tach, Delegation of the Euro-
pean Union in Jamaica, who
financed the project.
Ideally, wed like to be at least 30,000 the Project, which represents approximately
tonnes per hectare so that requires a lot of train- 430 acres of land.
ing, working with the farmers and sharing a lot The farms are located in the parishes of St.
of information, she added. Catherine, Clarendon, St. Ann, Manchester and
Dr. Cavell Dr. Francis-Rhiney informed that currently St. Elizabeth. Another set of farmers will also
Francis- 27 farmers and one farmers group are being be contracted in short order.\
Rhiney contracted to supply Red Stripe with tubers for
Local Raw
Materials
Business
Development
Manager at
Red Stripe
Under Project Grow, Red Stripe aims to
substitute 40 per cent of its HMCS imports with
cassava starch by 2020.
In light of the significant enthusiasm re-
ported by the farmers, Dr. Francis-Rhiney noted
that it is her intention to meet the targets before
the 2020 deadline.
That is my personal target, but I must
caution that it is not just growing the acreage, it
is also growing the output of the farmers be-
cause we need the farmers to be producing at
much higher tonnage per hectare than what the
national average currently is, which is 15,000
tonnes per hectare, she said.
Norman W. Grant,
president of the Ja-
maica Agricultural
Society greets acting
Commissioner of Po-
lice Novelette Grant
during a meeting at
her Kingston office
recently. They dis-
cussed crime includ-
ing praedial larceny
which over years has
been affecting Ja-
maican farmers.
 Pasture (grass) feeding for cattle
12 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2017 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

O ver the past year, the Ja-

maica Dairy Develop-
ment Board established
several hundred acres of im-
proved pasture grass on farms
throughout the island.
These grass varieties in-
clude Mulato 11, Mombasa
and Cayman Grass.
The grasses were estab-
lished mainly across dairy
clusters in St. Thomas, St.
Catherine, Clarendon and St.
Elizabeth
Pasture grazing is the nat-
ural means of feeding cattle.
Cattle and other ruminants do
well when fed quality forage.
Supplementation with grains
and minerals support in-
creased production of both
meat and milk. CAYMAN GRASS: With a tillered growth habit, the Cayman grass produces abundant stolons.
Cayman grass provides the following: more meat, more milk with enhanced nutritional quality;
Pasture Management Tips higher stocking rate; highly palatable; stoloniferous growth; tolerant to drought; resistant to dis-
eases and pests and also resistant to moist soils.
Pasture is the most abundant
and cheapest feed for cattle.

Well managed pastures can

supply cattle with most of the
necessary nutrition and en-
ergy.

By grazing lush grassland,

cattle take in adequate pro-
tein, energy, vitamins and
minerals (unless soils are very
low in certain important trace
minerals).

Quality of pasture depends

on a number of factors, in-
cluding:
- Type of plants grown
- Level of maturity of
plants at harvest
- Adequate moisture
MOMBASA GRASS: The grass is a tall grass, similar to hybrid Napier grass in habit, but far
during growth
more leafy and is very suitable for cut-and-carry. It is a very productive leafy grass, producing
- Soil fertility between 20 and 40 t/ha dry matter per year. Mombasa can be either rotationally grazed or set
- Fertilization stocked. Management depends on the farmers experience.

For further information contact:

JAMAICA DAIRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Hope Gardens, Kingston 6
Tel: (876) 618-7107 Fax (876) 977-9230 Email: dairyboard@micaf.gov.jm
 JAMAICA DAIRY BOARD NEWS
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2017 THE AGRICULTURALIST 13

Samuda commits to revitalisation of dairy industry

M inister of Industry, Commerce,
Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon
Karl Samuda, has reiterated his commit-
The agriculture minister also urged the
Ministry go in search of new breeds that
are able to provide larger volumes of milk
ment to the revitalisation of the dairy in- to supply the demand.
In launching the Tag It and Trace It
dustry, noting that currently Jamaica
campaign, Minister Samuda said the
only supplies about 50% of the milk
NAITS programme was a good and valu-
consumed annually.
able one and urged everyone to continue to
He was speaking at the launch of the
support its implementation, which was
National Animal Identification System made possible by the enactment of the An-
(NAITS) Publicity Campaign at Serge imals (Diseases and Importation) (Marking
Island Dairies Limited in Seaforth, St. of Bovine Animals) Regulations, 2015.
Thomas, on Friday, February 10. The system makes it a legal require-
In lamenting the poor policy deci- ment for all farms and establishments own-
sions of the 1990s that led to a decline ing cattle to be registered and for the cattle
in the dairy industry, Minister Samuda to be affixed with NAITS ear tags and is-
applauded Serge Island for its efforts, sued with cattle passports.
initiative and use of technology in lead- The identification and registration sys-
ing the drive towards restoration of the tem incorporates information on the ani-
industry and urged all the players in the mals identity, ownership, geographical
sector to work with a renewed sense of location and movement activity.
All information gathered will be
stored electronically under the control of
the Director of Veterinary Services, who is
the designated registrar by law.
NAITS will not only serve as a deter-
rence to praedial larcenists, said Dr. Osbil
Watson, chief veterinary officer at the Min-
istry, but will ensure that the public health
inspector at the point of slaughter can iden-
tify that it is a legitimate transaction as the
animal would have two ear tags and a pass-
port verifying the farm from which it orig-
inated.
To date, over US$550,000 has been
spent under the Inter-American Develop-
ment Bank-funded programme through the
Agricultural Competitiveness Programme
and more than 9,000 heads of cattle identi-
fied in the parishes of St. Ann, St. Cather-
ine, St. James and St. Mary.

Dairy Board programme increases milk production

Hon. Karl Samuda,
urgency to revive the industry. Industry, Commerce,
Agriculture and Fisheries

F ollowing the establishment of a fod-

der bank by the Jamaica Dairy De-
velopment Board (JDDB) on 17 acres of
land, using the Mulatto 11 grass, Serge
Island Farms is now reporting a 5% in-
crease in milk production over the previ-
ous year.
This project is one of several fodder
banks established by the Ministry,
through the JDDBs Dairy Sector Revi-
talisation Programme, covering 141.77
hectares of land where 23 small dairy
farmers in Clarendon, St. Elizabeth, St.
Catherine and St. Thomas have been pro-
vided with financial and technical assis-
tance.
Speaking during a tour of the Serge
Island fodder production area in
Seaforth, St. Thomas, on January 26,
General Manager of Serge Island Farms,
Dr. Gavin Bellamy, had high praises for
the new variety of grass, noting that it
had allowed the company to produce a
significantly greater amount of haylage
than would have been produced using the
African star grass.
Dr. Bellamy further noted that some
371 bales or 148,400 kilogrammes of
haylage were produced from 6.9
hectares.
The Mulatto 11 grass was introduced
EXAMINING THE MULATTO 11 GRASS:
by the JDDB in early 2016 as part of its
drought mitigation strategy in an effort to
enhance fodder production for use dur- Donald Elvey, chairman of the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB), examines Mulatto 11 grass during a tour of one
ing periods of drought. The Mulatto 11
of the projects implemented by the JDDB in St. Thomas. As part of its drought mitigation strategy, the JDDB, in collabora-

grass was selected because of its better

nutritive quality and its capacity to pro-
duce more feeding material.
Hugh Graham CEO, explained that
this project became necessary as the in-
crease in the frequency of droughts had
resulted in changes in the growth and
production of herbage and associated nu-
trient content.
tion with Serge Island Farms, planted a 17-acre demonstration plot on land owned by Serge Island Farms to demonstrate
the advantages of using it as fodder. Others from left are JDDBs Hugh Graham, chief executive officer; deputy chairman,
Dr. Sophia Ramlal; Everton Parkes, farming systems specialist; and Dr. Gavin Bellamy, general manager, Serge Island Farms.
This brought about the need for sup- Other strategies being implemented Additionally, a programme of em-
plementation to realize expected growth by the JDDB include establishment of bryo transfer is being implemented to im-
rate and avoid illness among the animals. silvo-pastoral systems using new and im- prove genetic diversity and improve
This, he said, in turn resulted in increased proved fodder cultivars and species, with animal performance.
costs to farmers and food costs to con- enhanced adaptability to conditions of
sumers. drought.
 EDUCATION
14 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2017 7 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

School-garden and
breakfast program:
The leadership of Knockalva Agricul-
tural School (l-r) Wynter McIntoch, farm
manager; Calvin G Brown, board chair-
man and Davia Robinson-Ramgeet,
principal, point to J.C. Hutchinson Min-
ister without Portfolio, Ministry of In-
dustry, Commerce, Agriculture and
Fisheries (5th left) a field of healthy
growing irish potato plants during at
tour of the school farm on February 16
in Ramble, Hanover. Also photo are Win-
ston Simpson, principal director- field
services, Rural Agricultural Develop-
ment Authority (RADA) and Collin
Henry, Hanover parish manager, RADA.
Hutchinson said both Knockalva and the
Sydney Pagon School have been air-
marked to become hubs to provide a
structured breakfast programme in pri-
mary schools. RADA is one of the key
stakeholders along with the Jamaica 4-
H Clubs, the Dairy Development Board,
the Ministry of Education as well as
other private sector entities selected to
support the school feeding programme.
-Photo/Story: Camille Beckford

OFANA to sponsor
plant tissue culture
lab at CASE
Members of the Ole Farmers Association
North America, Inc (OFANA), College of
Agriculture, Science and Education
(CASE) Alumni Association and the man-
agement of the college pose for the cam-
era during a ground breaking ceremony
for the construction of a plant tissue cul-
ture laboratory held recently at Passley
Garden, Portland. In photo are (L-R) Der-
rick Deslandes, CASE President; Peter-
son Warburton, OFANA Secretary;
Shirley Bailey, OFANA VP Georgia;
Norma Jarrett, OFANA President; Web-
ster McPherson, CASE Alumni President;
Wendell Codner, OFANA Public Relations
Officer; Terrence Johnson (OFANA As-
sistant Treasurer; Jurist Willis-Taylor,
OFANA Assistant Secretary; Vannetta
Leslie-James, OFANA Member; and
George Kates, CASE Chairman.

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Students showoff their winning prize at the re-
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at the annual show which was held in Trelawney.
WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM MARCH 2017 THE AGRICULTURALIST 15
16 THE AGRICULTURALIST MARCH 2017 WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM