Jamaican Minister of Agriculture Floyd Green has stated that several mango orchards will be established across the island. The project will be started in Clarendon next year, on a 1,000-acre plot.
Green also pointed out that the project will be in partnership with private investors to take advantage of the huge market in the United States for Jamaican mangoes, where 100,000 pounds have been sold since the start of the year, and one importer indicating that 10 times that amount can be sold in that country.
Jamaica-gleaner.com quoted Green as saying: “We are going to start next year by putting 60 acres into production for mangoes. We want to use the public-private partnership model to build out that 1,000 acres in mango production because the market is there.”
Farmers and other persons are encouraged to plant fruit trees on unused lands. The fruit trees are being distributed under the Ministry’s National Fruit Trees Programme, which is aimed at supporting food security and protecting the environment on a sustainable basis. Some 4,500 fruit trees will be distributed. The project is being executed in conjunction with the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS).