Prime Minister Andrew Holness has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to national food security through major agricultural investments, highlighting the Pedro Plains Irrigation Expansion Project as a cornerstone initiative aimed at unlocking economic value in farmland, improving water access, and building long-term resilience in the sector.

Holness emphasised that the national conversation around water access in Jamaica is often skewed, stressing the need for his administration to provide context and clarity on the government’s efforts in addressing the issue. “Less in the age of social media, which is an accelerant for misinformation, untruths, and downright lies and malice, the public can be totally misguided about what the real situation is,” he said.

The prime minister also commended the French government for being a reliable and consistent partner in the Pedro Plains Irrigation Project. “The French government would have given a grant, along with your resources, and we would have done a very comprehensive study of the area to ensure that when we go to implement, we know what we’re implementing and we don’t make any errors. We have done the intensive studies here to make sure that we’re not wasting time and money on implementation,” Holness added.

He revealed that part of the project is unlocking the economic value in the land by empowering the farmers to secure their titles and achieve more. “So this business of seeing yourself as just tilling the soil, getting the six-month crop, selling it, and then you stock up a little money, and then you buy a little van or a little pickup. We want to move to the next level where that same land can give you more than the six-month crop, the down payment, and the pickup.

“That same land can now get you the equipment for automation, the equipment for greenhouses and, more than that, for cold storage and processing,” Holness continued.

Holness revealed that part of the Pedro Plains Irrigation Project is to put in place a reservoir, lay pipes and build the largest solar plant that will give nine megawatts of electricity. “We are taking the water from the Black River. Some of it will be gravity, but much of it will have to be pumped, and so having the solarisation of the system reduces the energy cost. So this is not a small project.

“There is also a bigger plan around agriculture, and that bigger plan is for Jamaica’s food security; that’s what we are trying to achieve… I believe Jamaica has enough land to be self-sufficient in food. What is lacking? Number one is the will, two is the political direction, three is the technical capacity, and four is the financial wherewithal, the resources and the issue of infrastructure,” Holness added, noting that the country is well on the way in the next 10 years to have all irrigable land irrigated and become food sufficient.