The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF) has met with the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association (JPFA) to address storage issues being faced by local pig farmers due to the disruption in the market amid the COVID-19 crisis.
On May 13, a team from the ministry, led by State Minister Floyd Green, met with president of JPFA, Annabel Williams, and secretary Angella Bardowell, where the ministry committed to providing storage and slaughtering costs for 1,000 pigs per month for the next three months.
“I am happy the farmers reached out to us here at the ministry, and that we could have dialogue to mitigate these issues. I am pleased that the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association has agreed to partner with us to do a registration drive to get more small pig farmers registered,” Green said.
During the meeting, the team from the ministry agreed that this drive, which is expected to begin in another two weeks, will assist in positioning them to be better able to gather data from the sector.
According to Green, the assistance to the farmers will be done through the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association, where they will be in charge of the selection process.
MICAF continues to assist farmers who are affected by the pandemic by providing access to new markets, identification of storage facilities and offering financial assistance.
On May 12, Green met with Lydford Logistics in St Ann, one of the three entities that will be providing storage for pig farmers
Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20200518/micaf-provides-assistance-pig-farmers