Cassava farmers in St Thomas to get land lease support

Cassava farmers in St. Thomas stand to gain from improved operational regularisation, following the announcement of land lease provisions under the newly established St. Thomas Cassava Growers Association Limited. Speaking during the recent St Thomas Agricultural Show in Morant Bay, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, indicated that the Sugar Company of Jamaica is working to regularise the farmers, adding that cassava growers will receive leases for the lands they cultivate, enabling them to expand their agricultural investments.

Green hailed the farmers for positioning St Thomas as a national leader in cassava production.

“In fact, last year we harvested over 120 hectares of cassava, engaging over 180 farmers; and this is despite them having a tough year with Hurricane Beryl [and] Tropical Storm Rafael. The St Thomas cassava farmers continue to do extremely well,” the minister said.

He expressed particular satisfaction with the success the farmers have achieved since forming the group.

“When we first met and they raised their issues around cassava and around land, I said to them, ‘listen, the best way to deal with these issues is to form yourselves into a group’. If you look at them now, they have not only formed themselves into a group – and I hear that some of the best female farmers are a part of that group – they have also staged their very first cassava festival, and it went extremely well,” he stated.

The inaugural St Thomas Cassava Festival was held at the Golden Grove Sports Complex on February 28.

The event, which is poised to become an annual fixture, brought together stakeholders, cassava enthusiasts, and community members for a vibrant celebration of the beloved crop.

Minister Green also highlighted other ways in which St Thomas has been leading in agriculture, noting that the parish is, “the biggest producer of East Indian and Julie mangoes and biggest supporter of the exportation of mangoes”.

St Thomas is also leading in onion production, having yielded 3,396 tonnes last year – accounting for 60 per cent of Jamaica’s total output.