The development of arable lands in Innswood, St Catherine, leased to NCB Group Chairman Michael Lee-Chin has elicited heated discussion and raised the issue of food security for the country.

There is sentiment that Lee-Chin should not utilise the 2,600 acres for housing but should focus on growing crops.

Lenworth Fulton, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, is quoted as saying,”While we are not against Mr Lee-Chin going into housing, they should find appropriate lands for housing investments. We cannot use arable agricultural lands with irrigation systems in place to build houses.”

ALL A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING

The Cabinet, in the meantime, said today it had received a preliminary briefing from Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings Limited (SCJ) and the National Environment and Planning Agency, based rumblings around the media reports that the agricultural lands in Innswood would be used for housing development.

But Lee-Chin sees this as all a big misunderstanding and sought to give clarity.

Speaking with Our Today, he explained that the 2,600 acres was originally acquired for the purpose of going into agricultural produce production in a serious way.

A lease was granted in August 2019 for that specific purpose and work began in earnest with the Israeli firm Gideon Siterman and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) coming on board.

Previously, in 2017, the land was repurposed the SCJ.

Lee-Chin told how, for almost three years, the crops they intended to grow for both the home and export markets did not take well and so they decided to switch to cultivating orchards with mangoes selected among them.

The idea is to offer a win-win solution on both residential housing and food security. It was never to be the case that agriculture was to be totally abandoned in favour of housing.

While agricultural workers have become restive and anxious, Lee-Chin has sought to allay fears.

JAMAICA HAS A HOUSING PROBLEM

Jamaica does have a housing problem, more specifically for low- to middle-income earners. Many young professionals cannot get on the housing ladder in Kingston.

The reality is they have to seek viable options in the outbound suburbs and commute into the capital to work.

This was not lost on a Portland Holdings senior executive speaking with Our Today.

“Jamaicans are finding it very difficult to purchase homes on their own and the current housing crisis is largely fuelled by a supply deficit in the low- and middle-income housing. Most Jamaicans are turning to the National Housing Trust to finance their home purchase, but given the demand and supply gap that currently exists within that segment of housing, the public sector needs support from the private sector to meet the housing needs of the people. We know that the prime minister has been calling for private developers to step up and provide solutions for the low-income segments of the housing market. We want to play our part in addressing this challenge.”

Columnist Dennis Chung calculates that an average of two to three persons per household means between 543,009 and 815,009 people need housing solutions. The 2019 census indicated that at that time 711,000 houses existed.

The Government is planning to build 70,000 houses over the tenure of its current administration and aimed to build 10,000 last year.

Portland Holdings’ market research indicates there is significant unmet market need for housing units under J$15 million.

“It is untrue to say we plan to completely abandon agriculture in St Catherine in favour of housing. That is false,” said Lee-Chin.

READ: Amid rumblings over Innswood lands, Gov’t declares it won’t sacrifice agriculture for housing