Jamaica is the talk of agriculture in the Caribbean after copping the CARICOM Farmer of the Year and CARICOM Young Farmer of the Year for innovations in agriculture.

Trade Winds Citrus Limited has been awarded the CARICOM Farmer of the Year while Diandra Rowe won the Farmer of the Year Award and Young Farmer of the Year.

Presentations were made at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) Trade Show and Expo 2023 now taking place in The Bahamas from October 9-13.

Peter McConnell serves as managing Director of Trade Winds Citrus Limited, which specialises in citrus, pineapple and sugar-cane plant nurseries, and a state-of-the-art dairy farm while Rowe is a third-generation farmer who has won several awards for greenhouse farming.

Milagro Matus, deputy programme manager for agricultural and agro-industrial development at the CARICOM Secretariat, announced the winners during the opening ceremony of the CWA.

CWA is one of CARICOM’s annual flagship events, bringing together key Caribbean decision-makers and stakeholders from public and private sectors for business-to-business engagements, and extra-regional trading opportunities for micro, small, medium and large agri-businesses and services in the region.