Campbell calls for promised funds to assist farmers affected by Melissa

 

Opposition Spokesman on Agriculture Dr. Dayton Campbell is expressing concern over what he describes as delays in assistance for farmers affected by Hurricane Melissa.

 

Dr. Campbell, who also represents Westmoreland Eastern in Parliament, says Agriculture Minister Floyd Green has not yet fulfilled a commitment to provide financial resources to Members of Parliament to support registered farmers within their constituencies.

 

The Agriculture Minister had indicated in November that the initial disbursements would range between one and three million dollars, based on the extent of damage caused by the hurricane.

 

However, Dr. Campbell says checks with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) revealed that the funds have not yet been released.

 

He argues that swift distribution of the money is critical to restoring farming activity, strengthening production, and safeguarding farmers' livelihoods.

 

"About 80% of the economic activity in rural Jamaica comes from agriculture, whether it's from persons who plant and sell their produce or higglers who buy from the farmers, sell in the marketplace, or persons who run a cook shop or whatever else they do. But 80% of the economic activity in rural Jamaica is directly linked to agriculture. So when you have that devastation to agriculture, those persons are currently not able to earn anything," Dr. Campbell lamented.

 

"We can't survive on just people's benevolence, people bringing in care packages and those other things. We need back persons' livelihood to be restarted," he urged. "And so it is an imperative and it is an appeal to both Minister Green and the Prime Minister, Dr. Holness, for them to expedite the allocation of the resources to the necessary constituencies so we can get our farmers back to work."