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Help coming for farmers affected by drought

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Agriculture Minister Floyd Green
 
Agriculture Minister Floyd Green has announced plans to counter the effects of drought in sections of the island. 
 
The agriculture minister said at present, some parishes are seeing varying rees of dry conditions. 
 
While sections of Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth and St. James are "looking very good" in terms of rainfall, Mr. Green said South St. Elizabeth, South Manchester and South Clarendon are experiencing drought. 
 
He said the government will launch an emergency response programme and has already earmarked $10 million to start trucking water to the affected areas. He promised that resources will start to be dispatched to the farmers by this week, so water trucking can begin in the following week. 
 
Meanwhile, the minister has lauded the efforts of the farmers in restoring production following the passage of Hurricane Beryl in July last year.
 
The agriculture minister says last year saw the fourth highest production levels despite the drought and heavy rains.
 
According to him, the production numbers so far this year are encouraging.
 
"Our highest quarter of production for January to March was producing 216,000 tonnes in 2022. This year we have produced 221,000 [tonnes] in the first quarter of 2025," he noted. 
 
He has also given the government's commitment to dealing with the longstanding issues plaguing the sector, such as storage and pest control.
 


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