Audit flags private farm store selling free fertilisers

A Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining internal audit report has highlighted allegations that fertiliser donated by the Kingdom of Morocco for Jamaican farmers was being sold at a private farm store in St Catherine in August 2023.

An auditor general’s report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday indicated that the internal audit, with the damning allegations of the free fertilisers being sold at a private farm store in St Catherine, was reportedly sent to Dermon Spence, permanent secretary in the ministry.

In response, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) told auditors from the Auditor General’s Department that the permanent secretary referred the matter to the board for further investigation. However, Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis said RADA did not provide any evidence to confirm that further action was taken.

Attempts to get a comment from Spence yesterday were unsuccessful, as the calls went to voicemail.

The audit also identified instances where bags of fertiliser were not distributed in accordance with the approved distribution listing. For instance, from the 2019 and 2022 shipments, RADA distributed 210 bags of fertiliser to two persons and two companies directly from the Agro Investment Corporation warehouse.

According to the audit, these recipients were not on the Ministry of Agriculture’s approved distribution list, and RADA did not present any approved beneficiary and verification forms used to assess eligibility for farm input.

RADA indicated that the four recipients were farmers producing various crops; however, the requisite authorisation from the authority and the agriculture ministry was not presented.

Between September 2019 and July 2023, the Kingdom of Morocco donated approximately 72,000 bags, each containing 50 kilograms of assorted fertiliser at an estimated value of $349.4 million.

UNFAIR ALLOCATION

At the same time, RADA asserted that members of parliament (MPs) from both political parties received an equal allotment of fertiliser donated by Morocco, with each reportedly receiving 100 bags.

However, RADA provided records indicating that in many cases, some MPs received more than 100 bags, while others received less.

RADA confirmed that nine MPs from the Opposition qualified for the allotment, while 37 government MPs were qualified.

According to RADA, special allocations were made for the (agriculture) minister, the state minister, the former minister of agriculture, and the Opposition spokesman on agriculture.

The agricultural body said the special allocations were done “due to the significant number of requests received while performing their duties, the size of the agricultural base in their areas, and the negative impact of Tropical Cyclone 22 in 2023, and that all MPs coordinated the collection, storage and distribution of the fertiliser regardless of political affiliation”.

The auditor general noted that the Opposition spokesman on agriculture, who is not a member of parliament but a caretaker, was allocated 50 bags of fertiliser. However, RADA’s protocol does not provide for an allocation of supplies to caretakers.

Monroe Ellis said the accountable officer at RADA has a responsibility for the collection, receipt, custody and issue of public property, such as the Moroccan fertiliser, and ought to have instituted the requisite controls to govern the distribution of fertiliser to farmers, whether it is being done directly by RADA or through the MPs.

A breakdown of the distribution of fertilisers to MPs has been outlined in the auditor general’s performance audit report.

For the so-called breadbasket parish of St Elizabeth with four MPs, 2,231 bags of fertilisers were distributed to MPs. This means that each MP apparently received an average of 557.75 bags. The MPs are Floyd Green, J.C. Hutchinson, Delroy Sloley and Franklin Witter.

The three MPs in Westmoreland – Moreland Wilson, Daniel Lawrence and George Wright – received 100 bags each. However, Dr Dayton Campbell, the Opposition spokesman on agriculture, got 50 bags.

In Clarendon, 925 bags of fertiliser were shared among four government MPs. This means that each received an average of 231.25 bags of fertiliser. However, the sole Opposition MP in Clarendon reportedly received 300 bags of fertiliser.

For the parish of St Catherine, five government MPs were allocated 630 bags of fertiliser. This means that each MP received an average of 126 bags. On the other hand, the three Opposition MPs in the parish were allotted 230 bags, approximately 76.6 bags each.

Three government MPs in St Andrew were allocated 690 bags of fertiliser. This means that each MP was given an average 230 bags. Seven MPs in St Andrew sit on the government benches.

Two Opposition MPs in St Andrew received 130 bags of fertiliser, about 65 each. There are five Opposition MPs in St Andrew.

Fertilisers were allocated to MPs in the remaining parishes, with the exception of Kingston.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com