Green urges farmers to sign up for GK Insurance ahead of dry season
/ Our Today
administrator
Minister of Agriculture Floyd Green is appealing to farmers to sign up for the Government’s GK Insurance Programme, particularly as they prepare for the upcoming dry period.
“It might make sense to get some protection against drought as we go into what will be a very hot period,” he said.
The GK Insurance Programme provides protection against losses caused by hurricanes, storms, droughts, and other natural disasters.
Speaking at the official opening of two solar-powered cold storage containers in Flagaman, St Elizabeth last Friday (December 5), Minister Green highlighted the importance of insurance as a tool for safeguarding investments and promoting resilience in the agricultural sector.
He noted that payouts from the programme have already reached farmers affected by Hurricane Melissa, helping them recover quickly and minimise financial losses.
“Every single person who signed up for the GK insurance is getting a payout because of Hurricane Melissa. Unfortunately, it was only about 100 people. If it was 10,000 people [who signed up], 10,000 would’ve gotten a payout; if it was 100,000, [all] would’ve gotten a payout. Most people got their payouts within two weeks,” he pointed out.
He noted that the Government is actively supporting farmers to participate in the programme, particularly those who are unable to afford premiums.
“I have said the first 2,000 people who sign up for the GK insurance, the government will pay for you. You don’t have to pay a dollar. We will pay the base for you,” he said.
“In fact, of the [over] 100 people that got a payout, 95 or [so] of them paid no money because it was the Government who paid. The base is like J$3,000, so, what you can also do is take the base that we pay and add on some money on that,” he explained.
Noting that the GK Insurance Programme is “tried and tested”, Minister Green said that “for every weather event, Hurricane Beryl, Tropical Storm Rafael, and Hurricane Melissa, farmers have received money from their insurance. I would urge all of you to sign up.”
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