The government is to redouble efforts to increase local production of organic agricultural produce in a bid to reduce imports. 

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, J.C. Hutchinson, made the announcement while addressing farmers at the 2019 staging of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority’s (RADA) St Bess Agri-Fest held at the Santa Cruz Community Centre in St Elizabeth on Friday.

“Bamboo is going to be one of the biggest crops that we are going to have here in Jamaica. As for castor beans, we are also promoting that; grow any amount of castor beans and we will market it for you. We have programmes that we are now putting in place to market it,” the minister explained.

Both the National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ) and the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) has a role to play in these developments. The NCBJ last year rolled out their Organic Certification Programme while the BSJ's Special Projects Division is one of the leading organizations campaigning for Bamboo production among local farmers through its Bamboo Industry Programme.

Contact the NCBJ regarding its certification programmes today. Also, call the BSJ to speak with its Special Projects Division for more information on its Bamboo Industry Programme.