Farmers in Trelawny are being urged to adopt climate smart practices for sustainability in the sector.

The call was made by Mayor of Falmouth Collen Gager.

“We should focus on highlighting the importance of agricultural sustainability through the adaptation of climate-smart practices,” Gager remarked.

“Farmers and other stakeholders should seek to learn the strategies and the best methods for mitigation against potential disaster.”

He made the appeal during the opening ceremony of the 66th staging of the Hague Agricultural Show, which was held in Trelawny on Ash Wednesday (February 22).

FOSTERING ECONOMIC GROWTH

The show, which returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was hosted by the Trelawny Association of Branch Societies, an affiliate of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), under the theme ‘Fostering Economic Growth, Through Agricultural Value Chains’.

Also speaking during the opening ceremony, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Franklin Whitter, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the manner in which farmers carry out their daily agricultural activities.

“It has affected all our routine activities, impacting all the various economic activities. A significant consequence of the pandemic was the effect that it had on agricultural production. A large part of that came as it impacted the agricultural food chain. As we continue to recover from the pandemic, the theme of the show [was] quite fitting,” the state minister said.