HANDOVER OF LEASES TO YOUTH INVESTORS

HANDOVER OF LEASES TO YOUTH INVESTORS

On April 27, 2022, lease agreements were handed over to eleven (11) of the forty (40) youths selected for placement at the Toll Gate Mango Agro Park under the expansion of the Youth in Agriculture Programme.  The programme is expected to:

1. Increase access to government-owned Agro Park and Production Zone lands for eligible young farmers.
2. Improve the economic and social status of the youths.
3. Increase agribusiness knowledge and entrepreneurial skills among young farmers.
4. Focus on youths and technology and form clusters led by youths to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration in agribusiness activities.
5. Create sustainable linkages between young farmers and stakeholders in the agribusiness sector.

Youth investors pose with documents at the handover of leases to 11 investors to be placed on lands across the Agro Parks and Production Zones that are managed by the Agro-Investment Corporation. Ceremony was held at the Toll Gate Mango Agro-Park on April 27, 2022.

ADDITIONAL $70 MILLION FOR MANGO AGRO PARK INVESTMENT

AN ADDITIONAL $70 MILLION FOR MANGO AGRO PARK INVESTMENT

Government will be investing an additional $70 million this financial year to support the extension of irrigation services at the Toll Gate Mango Agro Park in Clarendon. This follows an initial $128 million that was expended by the Ministry to establish irrigation for 60 acres as well as roads and drainage system for the 935-acre property.

“This illustrates a level of commitment to helping you the investors within these agricultural spaces. We want you not just to strive, but we need for you to thrive, and the government has the responsibility of making sure that your investment is protected,” stated Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pearnel Charles Jr.

The announcement was made at the handover of leases to 13 investors for land at the Toll Gate Mango Agro Park on April 27, 2022.

The investors have committed to invest at least $20 million in the production of high-quality East Indian and St. Julian mangoes on 935 acres of land for export to established markets in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and the Cayman Islands.

The Minister outlined that strategic management and technical support will be provided by the Agro-Investment Corporation (AIC) to the mango investors to foster market linkages and manage the value chain.

He commended the mango investors on their investment and the agencies involved – Agro-Invest, the National Irrigation Commission, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, and the Jamaica 4-H Clubs – for their contribution to the project, describing it as “an amazing start.

Mango investors pose with documents at the handover of leases to 13 investors for the cultivation of East Indian and St. Julian mangoes on the 935-acre property managed by the Agro-Investment Corporation, held at the Toll Gate Mango Agro-Park on April 27, 2022.