Agriculture Ministry Gets Additional $1 Billion To Boost Food Security

Speaking at a virtual town hall meeting on May 14, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, said the allocation has been reflected in the First Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for 2020/2021, tabled in the House of Representatives on May 13 by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke.

“Because of the COVID-19 situation… the Minister of Finance tabled an early supplementary budget, in which we have added $1 billion to the productivity incentive scheme to assist our small farmers,” he said.

In the First Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for 2020/2021, $200 million will go to the Ministry for farmers and fishermen and an additional $800 million for productivity incentives.

Mr. Shaw informed that the Ministry has been assisting farmers who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“One of the things we did, and we are continuing to do it now, is having the farmers’ markets across the country. We purchase the produce from our small farmers at market prices and we have, in fact, been selling the produce in community markets across the country at maybe a little bit less… as a [means] of getting it into the marketplace,” he said.