5-year plan for breadfruit

A BREADFRUIT PLANTING project involving some 30 farmers and costing $287,000 is underway in the Bath area of eastern St. Thomas.

Funded by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), the project is estimated to increase the production of macca breadfruit by 5,000 dozens within five years and improve the crop's marketable yield from existing trees by 50 per cent over the next two years.

According to Caswell Clover, RADA parish manager for St. Thomas, the project will see the planting and cultivating of an additional eight hectares of the macca breadfruit variety.

He said that since the commencement in February this year farmers have cultivated 1.6 hectares with the aid of RADA's input of plantlets, fertilisers and crop care material. Land preparation and maintenance of their plots are the responsibility of the farmers.

Training sessions in crop management and post harvest handling of the breadfruit crop were organised and presented by RADA.

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