By Rayon Dyer, Gleaner WriterBLACK RIVER:
APPROXIMATELY 1,000 farmers are expected to benefit in St. Elizabeth starting in just over a week from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Flood Relief Programme, which is to help them to replant crops that were destroyed by the November flood rains.
Speaking in an interview with The Gleaner yesterday, deputy parish manager of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Samuel Harris, said that under the programme RADA, as the implementing agency, will be assisting the farmers with fertilisers, seeds, machetes and files.
"The need is so great that no one farmer should expect a ton load of goods. However, everyone of them will benefit," he said.
PRODUCE
The RADA deputy parish manager also explained that the parish of St. Elizabeth produces 3,500 hectares of peanut on an annual basis. He said that the farmers who were preparing lands to put in their peanut crop are on time for these benefits under the FAO Flood Relief Programme.
Mr. Harris said that while the agency is committed to the farmers, they need to rely on the RADA for information for a formal development of agriculture in the parish.
