The amended Agricultural Produce Act is impacting the agricultural sector in several positive ways.

This legislation, which was amended in November of 2005, now includes new provisions, such as a compulsory receipt book system to be used by farmers in conducting their transactions.

The definition of agricultural produce has also been extended to include fish, livestock and other items that were not included in the original Act. In addition, the fines for breaches under the Act have been increased.

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant says the amended legislation will help to push the agricultural sector forward and protect the farmers from praedial thieves.

He points out that the sector has suffered significantly at the hands of praedial thieves over the last 15 to 20 years.

"Praedial thieves have cost the sector in the region of $4 billion each year in recent times, which represents about 25 per cent of the total production that takes place in the agricultural sector," he says.

"Praedial larceny is like a cancer that dampens the enthusiasm of our farmers and undermines our food security plan and affects advancement of the sector. We want to ensure that those who continue to reap where they have not sown will get a clear message that as a society and as a people, we will not give them a free ride, and if they continue to steal from farmers they must know that the full length of the law will be thrown at them."