Agriculture needs help
published: Saturday | August 30, 2003

THE EDITOR, Sir:

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY as emphasised by at the Denbigh Agricultural Show should not be the chief area of focus ­ what about pomology or floriculture? Most persons worldwide are leaving animal products for a much more healthier lifestyle. The amount of arable lands we have at our disposal is minimal because most of these lands are being used for housing projects.

We need to educate our farmers about more viable agricultural strategies like tissue culture, strip cropping, hydroponics, crop rotation, dry farming methods like mul-ching, and diversification of plants we grow. We can plant short-term sea crops like Irish moss as a creative venture, or farm oysters to fulfil the endemic and exotic appetite of the persons who visit our shores. In the land of wood and water it's a pity many farmers are being denied this life-enhancing element to nourish their crops.

The issue of praedial larceny has a sour taste in the mouths of our beloved farmers. I think this started from the days of Adam and Eve and that forbidden apple. Will this ever stop? Our Honourable Prime Minister, Mr. P.J. Patterson, extended hands of kindness in this direction. But, will it work? Remember thieves are always one step ahead of the law enforcers. They likewise are planning strategies in order to combat honesty. It seems as if we are heading for a cul-de-sac with no way out. Everyone should have a receipt if they are checked by a police officer, says Mr. Patterson. The question is how are we going to know if these receipts are valid and authentic? What measures are going to be put in place in order to crack down on these culprits? What mechanism and machinery are we going to put in place to put a bitter taste in the mouths of the thieves?

These and other questions need to be answered, and now is the most appropriate time to separate the thieves from the farmers and resolve this perpetual crisis.

I am, etc.,

PARIS TAYLOR

Greater Portmore

St. Catherine

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