Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Pearnel Charles Jr, yesterday presented leases ranging between 2.5 to five acres to 20 youths who will be operating in the agro-parks and production zones across the island.
“I want to encourage you to use this opportunity to ensure that you reflect excellence so that others will look to you to be the model,” said Charles Jr.
He was speaking at a handover ceremony held at the Toll Gate Mango Agro-Park in Clarendon.
The young people will be cultivating mainly cash crops such as sweet pepper, sweet corn, Irish and sweet potatoes, which have significant commercial value.
“This is a very specific but deliberate approach to put in place the framework and support and to make sure that agriculture as a sector is attractive for our youngsters,” stated Charles Jr.
Noting that an additional 20 young people will also be awarded leases shortly, the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister said the Agro-Invest Corporation will be providing support to the young people in terms of land preparation, technical advice and market linkages so that whatever they produce they will have a market to sell.
The Agriculture and Fisheries Minister further stated that the Ministry’s core duty is to ensure that young farmers are able to access resources and to actively work towards enriching the lives of farmers.
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