IN AN effort to reduce the incidence of poverty and increase the prospects for economic development in St. Mary, several initiatives are being pursued by committees which have been recently formed in the parish.
A.A. Bobby Pottinger, Custos of the parish and Chairman of the St. Mary Development Committee, says the committees have made a number of recommendations aimed at putting St. Mary back on the path of economic prosperity.
The proposals include the resuscitation of the banana industry, large scale cultivation of several other crops including cassava, dasheen, plantain and sweet potato, as well as the establishment of a number of tourist attractions in Port Maria.
He mentioned that the construction of a civic centre and the procurement of business investments in the town were also among proposals being considered.
Highest level
Mr. Pottinger said the initiatives came in response to a recent survey conducted by the Planning Institute of Jamaica, which found that St. Mary had the highest level of poverty among the parishes of the country.
The Chairman of the St. Mary Development Committee said the development of tourism and agriculture were two areas for which separate committees had been given specific responsibilities, adding that the overall development of Port Maria was critical if the initiatives were to be met.
