Denbigh Agricultural Show to proceed on smaller scale despite impact of Hurricane Beryl
Nathan Roper / Our Today
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The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, has announced that despite the destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl, the yearly Denbigh Agricultural Industrial and Food Show will still be held.
Green, who made this disclosure on Wednesday (July 17) at a post-Cabinet press briefing, noted that while it was no longer possible for many farmers to participate or contribute, their efforts should still be honoured.
The minister’s disclosure comes a week after the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) announced to the media that the annual Denbigh show would be cancelled this year due to the adverse impact of the hurricane on the agricultural sector.
JAS said many of the contributors and participants of the show were impacted by the recent hurricane, and it was deemed necessary to cancel the show to enable them to focus on recovering their losses.
The annual event has been a common and beloved sight on the Jamaican agricultural scene, having occurred annually for generations.
The 2024 installment would mark the 70th official exhibition. The show is the largest agricultural exposition in the entire Caribbean. It averages over 100 showmen and women each year who meet on the 75 acres of Denbigh to show off their animals and agricultural produce.
Green said over the last few days he had been in contact with the JAS and other stakeholders in the agricultural industry to re-assess the way forward.
These talks concluded with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jamaica Agricultural Society choosing
to host the 70th Denbigh show this year, but on a much smaller scale than initially envisioned.
The show was originally set to take place over the course of three days, from August 1st to August 3rd.
However, this year’s staging is set to be a one-day event. The date has not yet been officially announced.
Green reiterated his continuing commitment to helping the agricultural community recover from the damage it had suffered in Hurricane Beryl, which is estimated at $4.7 billion JMD.
He also declared his plan to develop a channel for farmers who have yet to receive government aid to get assistance, encouraging them to reach out.
“We’ll focus on resilience and rebuilding. We’ll do a combination of things, like seminars about disaster
preparedness, about disaster recovery, and also offer various discounts and incentives that our farmers can benefit from,” the Agricultural Minister said.
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