Jamaica's Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has urged farmers to increase production to fill the void created by the decline of the bauxite industry.

The minister, who was addressing the annual conference of the St Elizabeth branch of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) last week at the Sharon Baptist Church, noted that a number of business interests were seeking to invest in the sector.

This interest, he said, was sparked by the two agri-business seminars that the ministry staged earlier this year in Kingston and New York.

"We have within the ministry some 800 expressions of interest coming out of those two seminars. Persons from various socio-economic backgrounds, learned and experienced in industry and commerce, and other forms of economic activities, are now asking, Where can I get the necessary variables - lands, access to credit, so that I can now look at the opportunities in agriculture?" he said.

Few options

Tufton added that investors were now giving agriculture this kind of attention out of a recognition that "they have few options, and the best option that is available to provide them with a livelihood is agriculture.

"Production is going to become increasingly focused in the years to come due to the various fallouts in the other economic activities, mainly the bauxite industry," Tufton explained.

He pointed out to the farmers' group that agriculture was the backbone of the society, both for earning and consumption. "Keep producing because a lot depends on you. The challenge of producing and producing in sufficient quantities and earning a living from your production is paramount more than ever," he said.

Tufton urged the JAS to look at its role in promoting the needs of farmers and to speak with one voice on behalf of its membership. That, he said, would enhance the effectiveness of the JAS and the livelihood of Jamaican farmers.