The Agriculturalist _ March 2017

Food Imports Out Performing Local Production

VOL. 27 NO. 1 • MARCH 2017

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FREE COPY

By Patrick Maitland Editor-The Agriculturalist amaica’s traditional export crops are facing major threats as imported food products continue to out perform local production, accounting for up to 40% of the island’s $840.9 million food imports in 2015.

The island is now a net importer of several raw and manufactured products including rice, sugar, coffee, cocoa, citrus, banana, pimento and ginger, as well as fish, milk, meat and other livestock products, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica.

With a declining stock of 6,500 heads of cattle, the island struggled to produce 12 million litres of milk in 2015, however imported skimmed milk powder, evaporated milk, whole milk, condensed milk and other dairy products totaled almost 17 million kg at a value of over US$50 million to satisfy the local demand.

Jamaica produced a meager 906,000 kg of goat and sheep meat in 2015, but imported a frightening 2,426,617 kg of the meats in various form of preparation, which cost US$11,000,940. Jamaica has the ideal condition and good breeding stock to successfully rear goat and sheep, however, the hard work of small ruminant farmers are always affected by farm thieves.

Jamaica is now a net importer of several raw and the manufactured products including sugar, coffee, cocoa, citrus, pimento and ginger, fish, milk, meat and other livestock products ______________________

A shocking 14,943,198 kg of fish and other marine foods including snapper, croaker, grouper, dolphin fish (mahimahi, dorado) and Banga Mary, fresh or chilled, valued at US$57,408,760 were imported, while local Aquaculture (Tilapia, Shrimp) and Marine (Fish, Conch, Lobster, Shrimp) producers struggled to produce 13,610,000 kg during 2015.

Just over US$21.69 million was used to import 31,965,275 kg of the popular chicken neck and backs. Chicken leg quarters and other poultry meat are often imported, however, with very high import taxes imposed by government, the local farmers are well protected from cheaper imports.

Despite the 2015 STATINS data showing the importation of 14,781 kg of cuts of swine prepared or preserved nesoi, which is valued at US$4,206,690, pig farmers claimed they are facing problem selling their pork and blame imports.

Refined sugar, icing sugar, sugar Nesoi, edible cane molasses and other related products top the list with almost 67,562,387 kg valued at US$34 million that were imported in 2015. However, the island earned over US$78 million from 53,810,000 kg of sugar exported during the period.

Jamaican spice, including turmeric, pimento and ginger, are in high demand because of their high potency and taste, nevertheless, local production continues to lag behind thus providing the opportunity for imports. During the year under review, some US$75.1 m, US$18.3 m, and US$31.3 m, were used to import turmeric, pimento and ginger, respectively. Continued on page 4

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Agro Processing Industry to be Expanded

KARL SAMUDA Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries

Story on page 4

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EDITORIAL

Jamaica must focus on feeding today’s generation and the next

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few years ago, the world was facing volatile food prices and price spikes on various commodities such as rice, flour, sugar, milk and fruits and vegetables. We were all fretting and everybody was beginning to see the wisdom of agriculture and the need to “feed ourselves.”

According to the World Food Organization (WFO), the world needs to produce at least 50 percent more food to feed 9 billion people by 2050. But climate change could cut crop yields by more than 25 percent.

The land, biodiversity, oceans, forests, and other forms of natural capital are being depleted at unprecedented rates.

The WFO warns that unless we change how we grow our food and manage our natural capital, food security -- especially for the world’s poorest -- will be at risk.

In the case of Jamaica, we are not sure of our total food needs and what percent are being produced locally.

However, if the island is spending an average annual US$914 million to import basic food items, we are heading towards starvation -if and when the supply is cut.

We often attribute reasons for a shortage of food to not enough food being produced and crop failure because of drought, pests, or too much moisture. But the problem can result from the uneven distribution of the island’s resource endowment and simple bad government policy.

As we analyze the food import data supplied by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, we are astonished by the

amounts of items, including fresh and processed foods, that with a little effort or resources we could save millions in foreign exchange.

For example, we could produce more of our goat meat and manufacture more Jamaican home-grown spices such as turmeric, pimento and ginger.

Nevertheless, as part of the global economy, Jamaican agriculture also suffered under the so-called Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) of the 1980s-90s imposed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which saw the dismantling commodity boards, eliminating price guarantees, closing and breaking down tariffs, and deregulating agricultural markets.

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At the time, Jamaica and other countries were also flooded with subsidized grain and milk from the U.S. that were sold at prices far under the cost of production.

However, we are learning from our past and must now focus on feeding today’s and the next generation. Jamaica cannot achieve sustainable growth or prosperity without a solid agricultural enterprise programme.

The priority must be set on food needs and how much of that food can be economically grown locally. In the next step, we must identify who will be producing the food and resources needed to get the job done.

But, the allocation of resources -land, capital and people -- is always the most important task if we are serious about feeding the people.

Patrick Maitland patrick@theagriculturalist.com

Don’t treat soil like dirt!

OPINIONS

The opinions expressed in this newspaper, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Agriculturalist and its publishers. Please send your comments or suggestions to editor@theagriculturalist.com. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all articles will be published.

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he issues of climate change, land degradation, and sustainable agriculture are among the most important challenges of the 21st century. For instance, it is estimated that approximately 75 billion tonnes of crop soils are lost worldwide to erosion by wind and water and through agricultural activities; all this at an estimated cost of US$400 billion per year.

Land degradation is of special importance as soils have long been recognized as a limited natural resource and are necessary to support life on earth.

By declaring 2015 as the International Year of Soils, the United Nations General Assembly, has declared its recognition of the critical role of soil in supporting human and environmental health. Despite these roles and potential there is little legislative framework in place at the global scale aimed at protecting the ground beneath our feet.

Notwithstanding that, 193 countries of the United Nations General Assembly recently reached an agreement, that in order to achieve sustainable development by the year 2030, 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) with 169 associated targets which are integrated and indivisible should be adopted. Of the 17 goals, four contains targets that are specifically related to soils.

Adrian Spence, PhD.

International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences adrian.spence02@uwimona.edu.jm

Soils represent a complex mixture of organic and inorganic as well as living and non-living components interacting to form biogeochemical interfaces. In soils, organic matter is referred to as soil organic matter (SOM) spans a continuum from fresh to progressively degraded mineral-associated plant- and microbial-derived compounds, and represents a major portion of the total carbon in the terrestrial environment.

SOM plays a crucial role in the global carbon balance by modulating biogeochemical processes and the exchange of greenhouse gases (GHGs) with the atmosphere. As a result, soil carbon sequestration is important in restricting global warming to below 2°C. Currently, the global soil carbon pool is estimated to be between 3,500 and 4,800 Pg (1Pg [petagram] = 1015g), making it several times larger than the biotic pool and atmospheric pool combined. However, it remains unclear how this vast pool of carbon will respond to future climate change.

In addition to its role as a buffer against climate change, one of the most fundamental functions of SOM is the provision of metabolic energy, which acts as a driver for soil biological processes. SOM is also essential for maintaining a number of physical (structure, porosity, colour and water holding capacity), chemical (cation exchange capacity, pH), and biological (nutrient source) functions.

It is also essential in soil aggregate formation and the sequestration of both organic and inorganic contaminants (e.g. heavy metals). It therefore means that, even small changes in the quality and/or quantity of SOM could significantly affect the capacity of soils to perform these critical functions.

Soil organic carbon (SOC), which makes up approximately 60% of the global SOM pool, has; therefore, been included in the monitoring of SDG 15.3.1.

It follows that, if we are to take maximum advantage of the agro-ecological functions of soils (i.e. climate change adaptation and mitigation and various ecosystem services), they must be managed using a suite of sustainable soil management techniques.

Publisher & Editor:

Patrick Maitland

Consulting Editors:

Vincent Wright, Jairzenho Bailey Produced & Published by:

Agri Life Foundation Ltd

AMC Complex, 188 Spanish Town Road, Kingston 11, Jamaica, W.I. Tel: (876) 923-7471• 923-7428 agriculturalist@gmail.com editor@theagriculturalist.com www.theagriculturalist.com

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Obituaries

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Carlton Edison ‘C-Lew’ Lewis

etired agriculturalist Carlton Edison "C-Lew" Lewis, 63 died January 30, 2017 at the St. Ann's Bay Public Hospital where he was taken for emergency treatment, after suffering a massive heart attack at home.

Lewis gave many years of unstinting and dedicated service to the Ministry of Agriculture, in its several iterations, and the Bauxite - Alumnia sector. He was the land aquisition officer for then Kaiser Bauxite Company and the NORANDA Jamaica Bauxite Company where he served as Mining Superintendent prior to his retirement.

Lewis is survived by his wifeClaudette; son-Andre; 4 sisters; 4 brothers; 4 stepchildren; nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

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Ronald ‘Ron’ Duncan

griculturalist Ronald ‘Ron’ Duncan died on February 17, 2017, after losing a valiant battle with Cancer.

A graduate of the former Jamaica School of Agriculture (JAS) Ron gave many years of unstinting and dedicated service to the Ministry of Agriculture, at the Grove Place agricultural station.

He then moved on to make sterling contributions the publishing, life insurance and landscaping industries.

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Jennifer Samuda

he CASE Alumni Association expresses sincere and heartfelt condolences to Ole Farmer Lloyd Samuda (Class of 1976) on the recent passing of Jennifer, his dear wife and lifelong partner of over 40 years, who made the transition to be with her maker on the night of Tuesday February 21, 2017, in Florida, USA where she was undergoing treatment for a medical condition.

Jennifer Samuda spent about 10 years in commercial banking after which she founded Jencare Skin Farm and Spa which is currently located at 82 Hope Road, Kingston 6, and has spent the past thirty three years as one of the leaders in Jamaica's Aesthetics and skin care industry. She will be sadley missed.

NEWS

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Agro Processing Industry to be Expanded

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By Rochelle Williams JIS inister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Karl Samuda, says the Government is focusing on expanding the local agro processing industry, as part of its job creation strategy.

Samuda noted that while there has been a modest level of development in the sector, additional resources are needed for expansion and growth of the local agro industry, which offers tremendous opportunity for job creation and entrepreneurial activity.

In his address to members of the Diplomatic Corps on February 8 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, Mr. Samuda spoke of the merits of the industry, which converts raw materials from primary to secondary products for maximum profit.

Samuda noted that while there has been a modest level of development in the sector, additional resources are needed for expansion and growth of the local agro industry, which offers tremendous opportunity for job creation and entrepreneurial activity.

He listed several crops which have

been identified for increased production, in an effort to further develop the agro processing industry.

“We are expanding the production of peppers, sweet potato and onions and we are also doing our best to get a healthy crop of sugar cane. Everything we do, we think of applying to the value added aspect,” the Minister said.

Development of the agro industry is being done under the World Bank-funded Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI), which is being implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund. .

Conie said the fruit, which is supplied through Board-certified farmers/exporters, is shipped mainly to the Cayman Islands, Canada, and occasionally to the United Kingdom, pointing out that “these are good niche markets (where) we are getting good prices”.

Conie noted, however, that Jamaica’s ability to capitalise on and fulfil the growing overseas demand for banana is contingent, to a great extent, on local suppliers and producers attaining GLOBAL Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification.

Global GAP is the worldwide organisation that assures the implementation of safe, sustainable agricultural practices worldwide.

It does so by setting voluntary standards for the certification of products while creating incentives for producers to adopt safe and sustainable practices.

Conie said this engagement is being car-

ried out by the Board through the Banana Export Expansion Programme (BEEP), which is supported under JBAM. She explained that the programme provides farmers with a number of benefits tailored to enhance their operations and position them for certification, thereby enabling them to export. These include infrastructure, such as designated storage facilities for pesticides, insecticides, fertiliser and other inputs. Farmers are also required to erect packing areas and install irrigation networks, among other things.

This is being complemented by the introduction of tissue cultures for new and existing varieties of bananas aimed at boosting production. Conie said implementation of BEEP is expected to be completed this year, as only 50 per cent of the project is under way.

Continued from page 1 Some 5,592,827 kg of cocoa products, including cocoa paste wholly or partly defatted, cocoa powder and other preparations in blocks slabs or bars valued at US$22,880,924, were imported. With the local production in 2015 estimated at 637,000 kg and earnings of US$403,000, Jamaica’s cocoa will continue to lag behind, as there are no immediate solutions to the Frosty Pod Rot disease and other challenges facing farmers.

An estimated volume of 626,108 kg of coffee beans to be used for blending, instant, other process coffee as well as extracts essences and concentrates of coffee were imported in 2015, at a cost of US$3,324,311.

Meanwhile, Jamaica produced and exported 567,000 kg of coffee albeit a higher earnings of US$25,628,400 million. Data shows that in 2015 import volumes of coffee beans exceed export volumes of 59,108 kg and the gaps is estimated to widen significantly in 2016 and 2017.

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica also revealed that the importation of fruits and vegetables are very popular in the markets.

Melon, cantaloupe, cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, red peas, irish potato and carrot continue to top the list of imported fruits and vegetables. In the case of Onions fresh and chilled, 7,774,539 kg was imported from the Netherlands.

The natural juice market is almost 90

percent imports, as mango, passion fruit, orange juice, sour sop and apple are being shipped as processed frozen juice concentrated thus avoiding import duties and phytosanitary regulations.

As it relates to frozen orange juice concentrated, Trinidad and Tobago joins Belize, Costa Rica and the USA in supplying 2,109,795 kg valued at US$6,295,537 in 2015. For Tamarind juice, 2.1 m kg costing US$5.8 million, were also imported.

Rice is very popular in the Jamaican diet, in spite of this, up to 97 percent of the commodity or 92.56 million kg, is being imported at a cost of US$48.13 million. Some three decades ago, the island supplied up to 10 percent of it rice needs. Nonetheless, only sporadic efforts are being considered to encourage local production of rice.

In 2015, a total of 318,848 kg of the banana fruit valued at US$291,839 was exported, compared with 1,687,905 kg of imported banana products including banana chips, valued at US $8.9 million.

However, during the period, Jamaica’s total banana production was 54,576,200 kg.

Since August 2008, banana exports from Jamaica declined significantly following the closure of Eastern Banana Estate.

Since 2010, Jamaica’s annual average agricultural/food export stood at US$218 million, while food import spiraled to US$914 million.

Banana Board Looking to Boost Exports

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JANET CONIE General Manager, Banana Board

By Douglas McIntosh, JIS he Banana Board is targeting further increase in exports by year-end, says the entity’s General Manager, Janet Conie.

Conie noted that exports have been increasing steadily since being resumed in 2011 after a three-year break consequent to the sector’s devastation by Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

Exports further increased to 211 tonnes in 2014; 312 tonnes in 2015; and 410 tonnes of the fruit were shipped in 2016.

The Banana Board is targeting further increase in exports by year-end, says the entity’s General Manager, Janet Conie.

She said the prospects are positive, as Jamaica has received queries from several countries, particularly in Europe, regarding potential export arrangements.

She was speaking with JIS News following a tour of farms and facilities in Portland and St. Mary on February 22 that are benefiting under the European Union (EU) Jamaica Banana Accompanying Measures (JBAM) programme.

Conie noted that exports have been increasing steadily since being resumed in 2011 after a three-year break consequent to the sector’s devastation by Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

She said following slow starts in 2011 and 2012, activities picked up in 2013 when 78 tonnes of the fruit were exported.

Exports further increased to 211 tonnes in 2014; 312 tonnes in 2015; and 410 tonnes of the fruit were shipped in 2016.

The sector currently has approximately 3,500 acres of land being cultivated by some 2,000 farmers.

Food Imports Out Performing Local Production

Coffee Board fires lawyer, demotes CEO

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he Coffee Industry Board (CIB) recently fired its legal officer and company secretary, Maria Gayle and demoted CEO Steve Robinson for failing to provide adequate insurance coverage and lied about the nature and extent of the insurance coverage on the coffee stored at its warehouse on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston, which was damaged by floodwaters on September 9, 2016.

This came to light when the board made a claim on General Accident Insurance Company Jamaica Limited for an estimated US$3 million worth of coffee damaged by the floodwaters. General Accident refused to pay on the grounds that the claims were inconsistent with the value and terms of the insurance coverage.

Jamaica Producers profit jumps to $4.3 billion

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"From what I understand, we did not have adequate insurance for the installation there that we have ... and that's the responsibility of the administrative staff, and so in a situation like that, there are consequences. We recognise that mistakes do occur, but when mistakes cause the level of damage that threatens the stability of the organisation, there are consequences, and so as a result of that principle, the action was deemed appropriate by the board," Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Karl Samuda said.

Gusland McCook, manager of the Advisory Services, CIB has been appointed acting director general, replacing Robinson, who reverted to his substantive post of chief accountant last Friday, a day

STEVE ROBINSON Former CEO, reverted chief accountant company secretary in the interim.

Coffee Talk:

Coffee Industry Board (CIB) chairman Sylburn Thomas (3rd l) and director Clinton Smith (4th l) pose with (l-r) Ricardo Allicook, Jamaican ambassador to Japan and Yutaka Nishibayashi, CEO of Wataru & Co., Limited during an official visit to Japan (January 21-28) on the invitation of the Association of Japanese Importers of Jamaican Coffee (AJIJC) to get a better understanding of factors affecting the demand side of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee with a view to impact the supply side in a manner that will create stability and advance the interest of the coffee industry.

Courtesy of Avia Collinder www.jamaicaobserver.com

amaica Producers Group Ltd (JP) earned net profits of $4.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to $614.57 million the year before.

The earnings were made on record revenues of $12.1 billion up from $8.7 billion- an increase of 39 per cent year over year, with a significant contributor being the recognition of Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) as a subsidiary.

Group chairman Charles Johnston said the group is also reaping the rewards of a series of initiatives including investment in the business of logistics, and deployment of an acquisition strategy to build a diversified international specialty food and drink group.

JP Food & Drink Division — comprising companies engaged in farming, food processing, distribution and retail of food and drink with production facilities in Europe and the Caribbean — earned yearto-date revenues of $8 billion, up 10 per cent over the prior year.

Johnston noted that JP Tropical Foods, a snack and fresh produce business, was adversely affected by poor farm yields during 2016 as a result of a significant increase in rainfall and other challenging weather conditions in St Mary.

He said banana production and sales are recovering, but typically take a ninemonth cycle to return to their peak. Otherwise, the division continues to experience revenue growth in its pineapple business and export growth in snacks.

JP’s Corporate Services segment — a group financing, investment and corporate management operation — earned a profit before interest and taxation of $3.4 billion in 2016.

This result includes the gain from divestment of Mavis Bank Coffee Factory during the third quarter and the gain on recognition of KWL as a subsidiary during the second quarter.

The group plans to relocate all head office activities from Oxford Road to its food production complex in Cross Roads and to Newport West.

MARIA GAYLE Former legal officer and company secretary, CIB after the board of directors fired Gayle.

Pamela Hutchinson-Johnson will serve as

HI-PRO CHAMPION FARMER: Carlton Smith holds the champion beef farmer’s trophy which he won at the annual Hague Agricultural Show 2017 held last Wednesday in Trelawney and was sponsored

by Hi-Pro Farm Supplies.

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INTERNATIONAL Bee decline threatens US crop production

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CALIFORNIA: new study of wild bees identifies 139 counties in key agricultural regions of California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, west Texas and the Mississippi River valley that face a worrisome mismatch between falling wild bee supply and rising crop pollination demand.

The first-ever study to map U.S. wild bees suggests they are disappearing in the country's most important farmlands -- from California's Central Valley to the Midwest's corn belt and the Mississippi River valley.

If wild bee declines continue, it could hurt U.S. crop production and farmers' costs, said Taylor Ricketts, a conservation ecologist at the University of Vermont, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting panel, Plan Bee: Pollinators, Food Production and U.S. Policy on Feb. 19.

"This study provides the first national picture of wild bees and their impacts on pollination," said Ricketts, Director of UVM's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, noting that each year $3 billion of the U.S. economy depends on pollination from native pollinators like wild bees.

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At AAAS, Ricketts briefed scholars, policy makers, and journalists on how the national bee map, first published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in late 2015, can help to protect wild bees and pinpoint habitat restoration efforts.

At the event, Ricketts also introduced a new mobile app that he is co-developing to help farmers upgrade their farms to better support wild bees.

"Wild bees are a precious natural resource we should celebrate and protect," said Ricketts, Gund Professor in UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. "If managed with care, they can help us continue to produce billions of dollars in agricultural income and a wonderful diversity of nutritious food."

TROUBLE ZONES The map identifies 139 counties in key agricultural regions of California, the Pacific Northwest, the upper Midwest and Great Plains, west Texas, and Mississippi River valley, which appear to have most worrisome mismatch between falling wild bee supply and rising crop pollination demand.

These counties tend to be places that grow specialty crops -- like almonds, blueberries and apples -- that are highly dependent on pollinators. Or they are counties that grow less dependent crops -- like soybeans, canola and cotton -- in very large quantities.

Of particular concern, some crops most dependent on pollinators -- including pumpkins, watermelons, pears, peaches, plums, apples and blueberries -- appeared to have the strongest pollination mismatch, growing in areas with dropping wild bee supply and increasing in pollination demand.

Globally, more than two-thirds of the most important crops either benefit from or require pollinators, including coffee, cacao, and many fruits and vegetables.

Pesticides, climate change and diseases threaten wild bees -- but their decline may be caused by the conversion of bee habitat into cropland, the study suggests. In 11 key states where the map shows bees in decline, the

amount of land tilled to grow corn spiked by 200 percent in five years -- replacing grasslands and pastures that once supported bee populations.

RISING DEMAND, FALLING SUPPLY Over the last decade, honeybee keepers facing colony losses have struggled with rising demand for commercial pollination services, pushing up the cost of managed pollinators -- and the importance of wild bees.

"Most people can think of one or two types of bee, but there are 4,000 species in the U.S. alone," said Insu Koh, a UVM postdoctoral researcher who co-hosted the AAAS panel and led the study.

"When sufficient habitat exists, wild bees are already contributing the majority of pollination for some crops," Koh adds. "And even around managed pollinators, wild bees complement pollination in ways that can increase crop yields."

A team of seven researchers -- from UVM, Franklin and Marshall College, University of California at Davis, and Michigan State University -- created the maps by first identifying 45 land-use types from two federal land databases, including croplands and natural habitats.

Legal marijuana sales creating escalating damage to the environment

Courtesey of Science Daily, www.sciencedaily.com arijuana sales have created an economic boom in U.S. states that have fully or partially relaxed their cannabis laws, but is the increased cultivation and sale of this crop also creating escalating environmental damage and a threat to public health?

In an opinion piece published by the journal Environmental Science and Technology, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Lancaster University in the U.K. have called on U.S. federal agencies to fund studies that will gather essential environmental data from the legal cultivation farms and facilities.

This information could then be used to help U.S. states minimize any environmental and public health damage caused by this burgeoning industry and aid legal marijuana growers in making their business environmentally sustainable.

State-by-state legalization is effectively creating a new industry in U.S., one that looks set to rival all but the largest of current businesses. In Colorado alone, sales revenues have reached $1 billion, roughly equal to that from grain farming in the state. By 2020 it is estimated that country-wide legal marijuana sales will generate more annual revenue than the National Football League.

But the article, titled "High Time to Assess the Environmental Impacts of Cannabis Cultivation" co-authored by William Vizuete, associate professor of environment sciences and engineering at UNC's Gillings School of Global Public health and Kirsti Ashworth, research fellow at Lancaster Uni-

Man in Marijuana Field in Jamaica - Greg Weeks Photography

versity's Lancaster Environment Centre say that this expanded cultivation carries with it serious environmental effects.

Their article points out that cannabis is an especially needy crop requiring high temperatures (25-30 °C for indoor operations), strong light, highly fertile soil and large volumes of water -- around twice that of wine grapes. In addition, the authors state that the few available studies of marijuana cultivation have uncovered potentially significant environmental impacts due to excessive water and energy demands and local contamination of water, air, and soil.

For example, a study of illegal outdoor grow operations in northern California found that rates of water extraction from streams threatened aquatic ecosystems. High levels of growth nutrients, as well as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, also found their way back into the local environment, further damaging aquatic wildlife.

Controlling the indoor growing environment requires considerable energy with power requirements estimated to be similar to that of Google's massive data centers. No significant data has been collected on the air pollution impacts on worker's public health

inside these growing facilities or the degradation of outdoor air quality due to emissions produced by the industrial scale production of marijuana.

The authors emphasize, however, much of the data on marijuana cultivation to date has come from monitoring illegal cannabis growing operations.

Dr Ashworth of Lancaster Environment Centre said: "The illegal status of marijuana has prevented us from understanding the detrimental impacts that this industrial scale operation has on the environment and public health."

"This is an industry undergoing a historic transition, presenting an historic opportunity to be identified as a progressive, world-leading example of good practice and environmental stewardship."

The continued expansion of legalization by the states does offer significant opportunities for the US Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Institutes of Health (NIH, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to fund research into legal cannabis cultivation to protect the environment.

"Generating accurate data in all the areas we discussed offers significant potential to reduce energy consumption and environmental harm, protect public health and ultimately, improve cultivation methods," said Dr Vizuete . "There are also significant potential public health issues caused by emissions from the plants themselves rather than smoking it. These emissions cause both indoor and outdoor air pollution."

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RADA - EXTENSION FOCUS

Recording Keeping

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A Must For Livestock Farmers

ecord keeping is a critical activity required for the success of any business, including the business of agriculture. Although a necessary tool, it is surprising that this area of business is often overlooked by farmers much to the detriment of their agricultural enterprises.

The cultural norm for most Jamaican farmers appears to be an over reliance on memory recall and in a few cases, notations made in personal diaries or on calendars, which are often times easily discarded or misplaced. This results in the loss of critical data and the generation of unreliable information for making projections or on farm calibration related to feed, watering etc.

Issues regarding economic analysis on investments, on farm practices and the tracking of items through the value chain (from farm to fork) requires a more structured and systematic approach to documentation. Therefore, a reeducation regarding the importance of records, the types of records to be maintained and the significance it holds in the transformation from subsistence mode of farming to a profitable venture has now become one of the primary activities of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) Livestock Unit.

It is estimated that approximately 3040% of poultry consumed in Jamaica is produced by backyard operators. These backyard operations produce a minimum of 25 to in a few cases more than 4,000 birds every six weeks.

Small ruminant development, more significantly goat rearing is another target group with great potential for local and international markets. Therefore, to facilitate the required documentation to enhance the development of these groups, two record books were developed by the RADA for broiler and goat farmers respectively.

These user friendly record keeping books have made the recording of data simple and manageable.

The books provide farmers with production targets to track their success and entry possibilities for data on their flock or individual animals to guide the decision making process.

Rural Agricultural Development Authority Hope Gardens, Kingston 6 Tel: 876-977-1158-62 Fax: 876-970-4660 executive@rada.gov.jm www.rada.gov.jm

The broiler record keeping book provides simple tables for entering basic information such as; the number of birds that are being produced, quantity of feed being utilized, number of birds reaching maturity and their average weight.

There are also entries to be made on the health status of the flock and financial data related to expenditure and sales made, which will assist in determining profit margins. Examples of simple but relevant calculations have also been included to assist farmers in utilizing the data they have gathered to make informed decisions.

The goat record keeping book allows the farmer to track the progress of his animals inclusive of does, bucks and kids.

Critical information on the kids regarding birth weight, weaning weight, breed, number of kids, including gender will make it easier to ensure that the best animals are maintained for continued breeding.

Sales and purchase entries are also possible, including the health information of the herd. The practical examples of calculations contained within the book will make it a must have within the tool kit of any small ruminant farmer.

Those farmers already in possession of these record keeping books can attest to the efficiency gains the have been able to realize simply by keeping proper records.

The book as long as it is maintained properly, also provides farmers with the necessary documentation regarding the proof of ownership to retrieve stolen animals recovered by the security forces.

Hard copies of these books are made available through RADA with soft copies accessible on the website.

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MARCH 2017 • THE AGRICULTURALIST • 11

Agri ministry gets seed production boost from CARDI:

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, J.C. Hutchinson (2nd right) examines a Laminar Flow Hood used to create sterile conditions at the handover by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) of equipment and material to boost the Ministry’s seed production capacity. Along with the Minister, at the January 11, 2017 event at the Ministry’s Hope Gardens offices, are (l-r) Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary; Barton Clarke, Executive Director and Dionne Clarke Harris, project manager CARDI; Stefano Cilli, Agricultural Attaché, Delegation of the European Union in Jamaica, who financed the project.

Cassava farmers showing interest in Red Stripe’s project

C

By Chad Bryan, JIS assava farmers contracted under Red Stripe’s Project Grow, have been showing a keen interest in the beer manufacturer’s vision of substituting imported high maltose corn syrup (HMCS), with locally produced cassava starch in the brewing process.

Under Project Grow, Red Stripe aims to substitute 40 per cent of its HMCS imports with cassava starch by 2020.

Red Stripe chose to utilize cassava based on its ease to process and the fact that it would not affect the signature beer’s taste and colour.

Cassava farmers contracted under Red Stripe’s Project Grow, have been showing a keen interest in the beer manufacturer’s vision of substituting imported high maltose corn syrup (HMCS), with locally produced cassava starch in the brewing process.

Local Raw Materials Business Development Manager at Red Stripe, Dr. Cavell Francis-Rhiney, told JIS News that there has so far been an “oversubscription for what we would need right now.”

“The buy-in of the farmers has been really good. We are very heartened that farmers are really interested in growing (cassava). We have to be keeping the farmers informed and to let them know that we’ll soon be getting around to their group,” she said.

Dr. Cavell FrancisRhiney Local Raw Materials Business Development Manager at Red Stripe

Under Project Grow, Red Stripe aims to substitute 40 per cent of its HMCS imports with cassava starch by 2020.

In light of the significant enthusiasm reported by the farmers, Dr. Francis-Rhiney noted that it is her intention to meet the targets before the 2020 deadline.

“That is my personal target, but I must caution that it is not just growing the acreage, it is also growing the output of the farmers because we need the farmers to be producing at much higher tonnage per hectare than what the national average currently is, which is 15,000 tonnes per hectare,” she said.

Norman W. Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society greets acting Commissioner of Police Novelette Grant during a meeting at her Kingston office recently. They discussed crime including praedial larceny which over years has been affecting Jamaican farmers.

“Ideally, we’d like to be at least 30,000 tonnes per hectare so that requires a lot of training, working with the farmers and sharing a lot of information,” she added.

Dr. Francis-Rhiney informed that currently 27 farmers and one farmer’s group are being contracted to supply Red Stripe with tubers for

the Project, which represents approximately 430 acres of land.

The farms are located in the parishes of St. Catherine, Clarendon, St. Ann, Manchester and St. Elizabeth. Another set of farmers will also be contracted in short order.\

Pasture (grass) feeding for cattle

12 • THE AGRICULTURALIST • MARCH 2017

O

ver the past year, the Jamaica Dairy Development Board established several hundred acres of improved pasture grass on farms throughout the island.

These grass varieties include Mulato 11, Mombasa and Cayman Grass.

The grasses were established mainly across dairy clusters in St. Thomas, St. Catherine, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth Pasture grazing is the natural means of feeding cattle.

Cattle and other ruminants do well when fed quality forage.

Supplementation with grains and minerals support increased production of both meat and milk.

Pasture Management Tips

• Pasture is the most abundant and cheapest feed for cattle.

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CAYMAN GRASS: With a tillered growth habit, the Cayman grass produces abundant stolons.

Cayman grass provides the following: more meat, more milk with enhanced nutritional quality; higher stocking rate; highly palatable; stoloniferous growth; tolerant to drought; resistant to diseases and pests and also resistant to moist soils.

• Well managed pastures can supply cattle with most of the necessary nutrition and energy.

• By grazing lush grassland, cattle take in adequate protein, energy, vitamins and minerals (unless soils are very low in certain important trace minerals).

• Quality of pasture depends on a number of factors, including: - Type of plants grown - Level of maturity of plants at harvest - Adequate moisture during growth - Soil fertility - Fertilization

MOMBASA GRASS: The grass is a tall grass, similar to hybrid Napier grass in habit, but far more leafy and is very suitable for cut-and-carry. It is a very productive leafy grass, producing between 20 and 40 t/ha dry matter per year. Mombasa can be either rotationally grazed or set stocked. Management depends on the farmer’s experience.

For further information contact:

JAMAICA DAIRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD Hope Gardens, Kingston 6 Tel: (876) 618-7107 • Fax (876) 977-9230 • Email: dairyboard@micaf.gov.jm

JAMAICA DAIRY BOARD NEWS Samuda commits to revitalisation of dairy industry M WWW.THEAGRICULTURALIST.COM

inister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon Karl Samuda, has reiterated his commitment to the revitalisation of the dairy industry, noting that currently Jamaica only supplies about 50% of the milk consumed annually.

He was speaking at the launch of the National Animal Identification System (NAITS) Publicity Campaign at Serge Island Dairies Limited in Seaforth, St. Thomas, on Friday, February 10.

In lamenting the poor policy decisions of the 1990s that led to a decline in the dairy industry, Minister Samuda applauded Serge Island for its efforts, initiative and use of technology in leading the drive towards restoration of the industry and urged all the players in the sector to work with a renewed sense of urgency to revive the industry.

MARCH 2017 • THE AGRICULTURALIST • 13

The agriculture minister also urged the Ministry “go in search of new breeds” that are able to provide larger volumes of milk to supply the demand.

In launching the ‘Tag It and Trace It’ campaign, Minister Samuda said the NAITS programme was a good and valuable one and urged everyone to continue to support its implementation, which was made possible by the enactment of the Animals (Diseases and Importation) (Marking of Bovine Animals) Regulations, 2015.

The system makes it a legal requirement for all farms and establishments owning cattle to be registered and for the cattle to be affixed with NAITS ear tags and issued with cattle passports.

The identification and registration system incorporates information on the animal’s identity, ownership, geographical location and movement activity.

All information gathered will be stored electronically under the control of the Director of Veterinary Services, who is the designated registrar by law.

NAITS will not only serve as a deterrence to praedial larcenists, said Dr. Osbil Watson, chief veterinary officer at the Ministry, but will ensure that the public health inspector at the point of slaughter can identify that it is a legitimate transaction as the animal would have two ear tags and a passport verifying the farm from which it originated.

To date, over US$550,000 has been spent under the Inter-American Development Bank-funded programme through the Agricultural Competitiveness Programme and more than 9,000 heads of cattle identified in the parishes of St. Ann, St. Catherine, St. James and St. Mary.

Dairy Board programme increases milk production

F

ollowing the establishment of a fodder bank by the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB) on 17 acres of land, using the Mulatto 11 grass, Serge Island Farms is now reporting a 5% increase in milk production over the previous year.

This project is one of several fodder banks established by the Ministry, through the JDDB’s Dairy Sector Revitalisation Programme, covering 141.77 hectares of land where 23 small dairy farmers in Clarendon, St. Elizabeth, St. Catherine and St. Thomas have been provided with financial and technical assistance.

Speaking during a tour of the Serge Island fodder production area in Seaforth, St. Thomas, on January 26, General Manager of Serge Island Farms, Dr. Gavin Bellamy, had high praises for the new variety of grass, noting that it had allowed the company to produce a significantly greater amount of haylage than would have been produced using the African star grass.

Dr. Bellamy further noted that some 371 bales or 148,400 kilogrammes of haylage were produced from 6.9 hectares.

The Mulatto 11 grass was introduced by the JDDB in early 2016 as part of its drought mitigation strategy in an effort to enhance fodder production for use during periods of drought. The Mulatto 11 grass was selected because of its better nutritive quality and its capacity to produce more feeding material.

Hugh Graham CEO, explained that this project became necessary as the increase in the frequency of droughts had resulted in changes in the growth and production of herbage and associated nutrient content.

Hon. Karl Samuda, Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries

EXAMINING THE MULATTO 11 GRASS:

Donald Elvey, chairman of the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB), examines Mulatto 11 grass during a tour of one of the projects implemented by the JDDB in St. Thomas. As part of its drought mitigation strategy, the JDDB, in collaboration with Serge Island Farms, planted a 17-acre demonstration plot on land owned by Serge Island Farms to demonstrate the advantages of using it as fodder. Others from left are JDDB’s Hugh Graham, chief executive officer; deputy chairman, Dr. Sophia Ramlal; Everton Parkes, farming systems specialist; and Dr. Gavin Bellamy, general manager, Serge Island Farms.

This brought about the need for supplementation to realize expected growth rate and avoid illness among the animals.

This, he said, in turn resulted in increased costs to farmers and food costs to consumers.

Other strategies being implemented by the JDDB include establishment of silvo-pastoral systems using new and improved fodder cultivars and species, with enhanced adaptability to conditions of drought.

Additionally, a programme of embryo transfer is being implemented to improve genetic diversity and improve animal performance.

14 • THE AGRICULTURALIST • MARCH 2017 7

EDUCATION

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School-garden and breakfast program:

The leadership of Knockalva Agricultural School (l-r) Wynter McIntoch, farm manager; Calvin G Brown, board chairman and Davia Robinson-Ramgeet, principal, point to J.C. Hutchinson Minister without Portfolio, Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (5th left) a field of healthy growing irish potato plants during at tour of the school farm on February 16 in Ramble, Hanover. Also photo are Winston Simpson, principal director- field services, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and Collin Henry, Hanover parish manager, RADA. Hutchinson said both Knockalva and the Sydney Pagon School have been airmarked to become hubs to provide a structured breakfast programme in primary schools. RADA is one of the key stakeholders along with the Jamaica 4H Clubs, the Dairy Development Board, the Ministry of Education as well as other private sector entities selected to support the school feeding programme.

-Photo/Story: Camille Beckford

OFANA to sponsor plant tissue culture lab at CASE

Calver t y Farm Store & Hard ware

Members of the Ole Farmers Association North America, Inc (OFANA), College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) Alumni Association and the management of the college pose for the camera during a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a plant tissue culture laboratory held recently at Passley Garden, Portland. In photo are (L-R) Derrick Deslandes, CASE President; Peterson Warburton, OFANA Secretary; Shirley Bailey, OFANA VP Georgia; Norma Jarrett, OFANA President; Webster McPherson, CASE Alumni President; Wendell Codner, OFANA Public Relations Officer; Terrence Johnson (OFANA Assistant Treasurer; Jurist Willis-Taylor, OFANA Assistant Secretary; Vannetta Leslie-James, OFANA Member; and George Kates, CASE Chairman.

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HI-PRO WINNERS:

Students showoff their winning prize at the recent Hague Agricultural Show. Hi-Pro Farm Supplies sponsored several competitive events aimed at attracting more young people into agriculture at the annual show which was held in Trelawney.

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MARCH 2017 • THE AGRICULTURALIST • 15

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