THE JAMAICA Agricultural Society (JAS), in collaboration with the Ministries of Agricuture and National Security and Justice and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is to launch the much-anticipated Praedial Larceny Control Programme next month.
President of the JAS, A.A. "Bobby" Pottinger, said that the final stages of preparations for the programme were to be put together in time for the launching.
Mr. Pottinger said the over $8 million funding for the printing of National Receipt Books for farmers, had been made available by the Ministry of Agricul-ture, with quotations for the job already received from a number of local and overseas companies.
Chief Executive Officer of the JAS, Robert Reid, said that the receipts were to bear a number of security features to prevent successful tampering and duplication. Purchasers of farm produce will be required to present the official receipts at check-points to be mounted by the police islandwide.
Only 18 cases of praedial larceny were officially reported to the JAS islandwide between mid-April and mid-May. However, Mr. Reid said it was widely known that many farmers were not reporting their losses. Most of the reports came in from St. Andrew and Portland.
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