Jamaica’s agricultural sector is being reinforced to withstand the impact of severe weather systems, such as Hurricane Melissa, through the USD 50 million ADAPT Jamaica initiative.

Approved by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), this represents Jamaica’s first single-country climate investment from the GCF. It seeks to safeguard the nation’s agricultural sector against intensifying climate shocks and address longstanding vulnerabilities. This will be achieved through the integration of climate-resilient agriculture, reductions in food waste, strengthened climate information services, and...

The levy on exported conch for the upcoming season will remain at US$0.50 per pound.

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday (March 24), approved the Conch (Export Levy) (Rate of Levy) Order and Resolution to facilitate the move.

Piloting the legislation, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, said Hurricane Melissa caused significant damage to the industry and impacted several of the island’s industrial fishers.

“The object of the order, pursuant to Section 3 of the Act is to legally require a person who proposes to export, or who exports conch, to...

Following the successful implementation of the Improving Rural Livelihoods Through Resilient Agri-Food Systems (IRL) Project, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, has called for similar initiatives to be replicated across rural communities islandwide.

Speaking during the project’s closing ceremony on Wednesday (March 25), at St. Catherine High School, Minister Green highlighted the success of the initiative in transforming the lives of small farmers, particularly women and youth.

Launched in 2023, the IRL Project was funded by a US$1-million...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is implementing measures to help the banana and plantain industry bounce back, following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.

Senior Strategist, Consultant and Advisor to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Michael Pryce, told a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank that the category-five hurricane left some 95 per cent of the country’s banana and plantain crop destroyed in its wake.

“We immediately started efforts to resuscitate bananas after the hurricane, and we injected, as a Ministry, $100...