Preserve farmlands, former JAS president urges gov't

 

Immediate past president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, Lenworth Fulton, is again calling for the government to preserve farmlands in light of the accelerating global trade wars.

 

Mr. Fulton says now more than ever, the government must rely on its own powers and resources.

 

"Do not use agricultural land for other purposes. Treat agricultural land the same way we treat things like the Dunn's River, a protected asset, like Emancipation Park, a protected asset, like the new park they are building in Portmore, a protected asset. Why not agricultural land? It should be treated [similarly]; it's where the sustenance of the people will come from and for generations to come," Mr. Fulton argued. 

 

He warned of "dark days ahead" if Jamaica is unable to feed its people. 

 

"And it is holding true the language of the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] report that was published since year where they studied 2019 to 2023. And it proved that 55 per cent of our people here in Jamaica have been experiencing mild or severe hunger," he noted.