News

Agro-Invest Corp wants more applicants for Land Owner Match Programme

A year after launching the Agricultural Land Owner Match Programme, Agro-Invest Corporation (AIC) is still hoping to attract applicants who have a minimum of 50 acres of land to let for agricultural production.

The programme, which forms part of the AIC’s mandate of facilitating agricultural investment and development, aims “to get all unused land into agricultural production”.

“We want landowners to apply, and we will do the legwork in finding a suitable investor and creating the match,” AIC explained, adding that the programme will take the hassle of letting away from landowners.

According to Alecia Brown-Forbes, manager of marketing and communications at AIC, the programme is, however, at a standstill due to a lack of enough lessors of arable land.

“The demand is greater than the supply for the simple reason that many of the people offering land do not have the title or paid-up property taxes. These are the main requirements of applying to the programme,” she told Jamaica Observer.

Since the launch of the programme on May 5, 2020, some 773 acres of land — 333 acres in Elim and 400 acres in Greenhouse — have been leased. At the beginning, the corporation used various marketing activities, such as paid radio features, newspaper ads, and social media blitz, to promote the programme. However, as it expanded the programme, it depended heavily on stakeholders as well as the media to promote it.

The Agricultural Land Owner Match Programme has two phases. Under the first phase landowners interested in in letting their land will apply to AIC, which does its due diligence checks on applicants and visits the sites to determine if the property has met the requirements for agricultural production. In the second phase, the corporation promotes available properties for lease to a suitable match.

At present, Brown-Forbes said their is a “long waiting list” of investors who would like to enter lease arrangements. In order to meet the demand of investors, AIC has adjusted its requirements to accommodate individuals who own at least 30 acres of land to apply. So far, she said, applications have come in from Westmoreland, St Ann, St Mary, and St Thomas.

“We can safely say the number of persons wanting land to lease outweighs those willing to lease land, according to the number of applications for government land we receive on a monthly basis,” she added.

Notwithstanding, Brown-Forbes is encouraging investors to continue applying, noting that AIC will provide “technical services which includes agronomy, soil type, PH levels information, [and] market linkages to exporters/manufacturers/hotels”.

Reference Link: Agro-Invest Corp wants more applicants for Land Owner Match Programme (jamaicaobserver.com)

Agro-Invest defends ownership of packing house in Manchester

 

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Agro-Investment Corp secures four investors for mango orchard project

Agro-Investment Corporation, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, is on the hunt for 20 investors to put to work some 1,000 acres of idle sugar cane lands in Toll Gate, Clarendon.

The lands have been earmarked for the cultivation of the St Julian and East Indian mangoes, a fruit that was given the green light for re-entry into the United States market two years ago. High demand is also coming from the United Kingdom and Canada.

So far, four local investors have been identified for the project. Each will lease 50 acres of land from the Agro-Investment Corporation under a 25-year, renewable lease arrangement.

In addition to the cost to lease the property, the investors would be required to spend between $13 million and $15 million to prepare the land for cultivation and put the crops in the ground.

The division, which has responsibility for developing and implementing the business and investment models that support the agriculture ministry’s policy, is working to have a model farm on the property by year end, during which time it hopes to sign off on the lease arrangements with the first four investors.

In May, the ministry announced the allocation of $128 million to develop the land into mango orchards. The funds are being used for road and water infrastructure for the orchard and the construction of a hot-water treatment plant.

“We had about 25 persons applying, four of which we are moving ahead with before the year ends. We hope to sign another four investors by the first quarter of 2022, and that may be a mix of local and foreign investors,” CEO of the Agro-Investment Corporation, Dr Al Powell, told the Financial Gleaner.

It takes, on average, three years for the crops to bear fruit. Preliminary estimates by the Agro-Investment Corporation are that at year four, mango yield per acre would run approximately 5,500 pounds.

The St Julian and East Indian mangoes fetch $150 per pound at farm gate price. Assuming each investor can cultivate the entire 50-acre plot, the investor stands to make $41.250 million in revenue annual.

“Under favourable conditions, investors can expect an average margin of 92 per cent over a 10-year period,” Powell said.

The Agro-Investment made the first call for investors in July and ran a second advertisement for the project on Sunday.

Sweeteners for investors include promise of ease of transport via the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000, assistance with market linkage to the US, Canada and UK through the state investment marketing agency Jampro, business planning and business counselling services, technical support, local and international food safety certification, along with access to the approved hot-water treatment facility for the treatment of mangoes for exportation.

The treatment facility is not expected to be located on property.

“There are about four crops that are in high demand, particularly in the US; avocados, ackee, mangoes and breadfruits. We want to do all four, but we are starting off with mangoes, based on the constant calls for us to supply Julie and the East Indian mangoes,” Powell said.

Since the resumption of mango exports to the US in 2019, some 10,418 boxes totalling 49,298 kilogrammes of East Indian, St Julian and Trini Graham mangoes have been exported.

The treatment facility is expected to allay phytosanitary concerns regarding the fruits, and less worries and logistical costs associated with their export to, and movement of the goods on reaching the US.

Reference Link: Agro-Investment Corp secures four investors for mango orchard project | Business | Jamaica Gleaner (jamaica-gleaner.com)

Youth To Be Certified In International Food Safety

Manager of Marketing and Communications at the Agro-Investment Corporation, Alecia Brown Forbes, says youth stand to benefit from local and international food-safety certification once they are selected for the programme.

Participants in the Agro-Investment Corporation’s (Agro-Invest) Youth in Agriculture Programme are slated to benefit from local and international food-safety certification.

The Programme aims to support the future of farming in Jamaica by providing resources and expertise to select young farmers, with 50 young persons aged 18 to 35 currently participating.

Marketing and Communications Manager at Agro-Invest, Alecia Brown-Forbes, says additional focus has been placed on improving the offerings of the programme.

“We… decided that we are going to include two other features… we are going to offer them local and international food-safety certification as well as [increase] the minimum amount of land that we usually lease to the youth to five acres. If we realise, however, that youth have the potential to invest in more than five acres, then they can get multiples of five-acre plots to lease from us under the programme.” Mrs. Forbes said.

With the added benefit of food-safety certification, youth will be exposed to the fundamentals of handling, preparing and storing what they produce in a way that meets established standards. Meanwhile, persons applying to the programme are being reminded that they must be able to outline their finances in order to apply.

The business proposal form, which is a required document for the application process, asks for these details and is available on the Agro-Invest website at agroinvest.gov.jm.

“When persons connect with us through our website or on social media, for example, or they call us, we want to remind them that the application forms are available for download on the website. What they have to do is fill out an application form as well as we ask them to fill out a business proposal form,” she said.

“The form… outlines their access to market as well as it gives the information on whether they have any knowledge of agriculture at all. It will also give us an idea as to how they will conduct their business in general since farming is a business. This provides us with basic information we can use in the selection process,” Mrs. Forbes explained.

Persons can visit the Agro-invest on Facebook at Agro-investJa or call 876-9230086.

Land owners urged to lease properties from Agriculture

The Agro-Investment Corporation (AgroInvest) is urging Jamaicans who own 30 acres of land or more to consider leasing their properties for agricultural production.

This would be facilitated through the Agriculture Landowner Match Programme, which began in May 2020/

Marketing and Communications Manager at Agro-Invest, Alecia Brown-Forbes, speaking in a recent interview with JIS News, said the programme has piqued the interest of Jamaicans.

“We realise that in Jamaica there are many acres of unused land owned by private citizens that can be used for agricultural purposes. We, therefore, want persons who own large amounts – 30 acres or more – to apply to us. We will research, promote and try to find suitable investors for those lands,” Forbes said.

The work of the Agro-Investment Corporation is centred on supporting an environment for the sustainable development of agriculture in Jamaica.

Forbes said under the Agriculture Landowner Match Programme, the corporation makes the leasing process easier for landowners.

“What we will do, essentially, is take the hassle away from landowners. Based on my experience, it can be tedious to lease property and many times persons don’t know the processes and procedures. This is where we come in. Our purpose is to get as much unused land in production as we possibly can, as well as to really stimulate investment in agriculture,” she said.

Forbes also mentioned that persons in the Diaspora can benefit from the offerings of the programme.

“At the moment, we are appealing to persons, especially Jamaicans in the Diaspora, who have left the country and have land here. What we have done, so far, is to ask JAMPRO’s offices in Canada to promote the Agriculture Landowner Match Programme for us through their platforms,” she added.

Having a large acreage of land meets the first requirement, but the land must also be suitable for growing crops.

“We would ideally want the land to be arable, and this is because we want the land to facilitate crop production as well as cattle rearing; but even then, it must be land that is usable. What we realise is because Jamaica is mountainous, there are persons who have land but because of the terrain, it isn’t suitable for agricultural purposes. This is, therefore, something applicants can expect to be asked about when they’ve applied,” Forbes explained.

Meanwhile, AgroInvest is targeting persons with land all across the country with no preference or specification for any set parishes.

“We are targeting all across Jamaica. There are some parishes where the land and the soil are better suited for crop production than others, but we are targeting all unused land across the country. Once it is flat enough and able to be used for agricultural purposes, we are looking everywhere basically,” Forbes said.

For more information

Persons can visit the Agro-Investment Corporation website at agroinvest.gov.jm or call 876-923-0086 or 876 764-8365.

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Reference link: Landowners urged to lease properties for agriculture | News | Jamaica Gleaner (jamaica-gleaner.com)

Ministry on drive to get all unused lands for farming

Tractor Servicing

TRACTOR SERVICE OFFERED BY THE AGRO INVESTMENT CORPORATION

To substantially drive agricultural production and productivity, the Agro Investment Corporation extends tractor services to farms within proximity to the Ebony Park/Spring Plain Agro Parks in Clarendon as well as the Plantain Garden River Agro Park in St. Thomas. The service offered is geared towards assisting in reducing one of the most tedious aspects of farmland preparation. The tractor is equipped with a Bedding Tool which will allow for bedding formation and adequate preparation of the soil before planting.

Should an individual/entity require tractor services they should contact the Corporation or Park Manager at any of the afore-mentioned Agro Parks who will complete a Request for Tractor Service on Form 1A and submit to the Corporation’s Agro Park Director for approval.

Below are the areas of Form 1A to be completed by the Park Manager on behalf of the individual/entity for the requisition of tractor service on or off the Agro Parks.

1. 1. Personal info-The name of the lessee/ entity/ individual, contact number and an email address should be written on Form 1A.
   2. Location– The location where the operation will take place- Agro Park or area outside of the Agro Park.
   3. Work description– The description of work includes the approximate acreage and usage rate must be completed.
   4. Requisition-Signature of the lessee/entity representative/ individual must be affixed to Form 1A for work to be formally requested and later approved and authorized.

 

1. Payment-

1. 1. At least a fifty percent (50%) deposit is required on all jobs. The balance is payable immediately upon the completion of job done by the respective user.
   2. Payments may be made to Agro Investment Corporation’s (Agro Invest) account at National Commercial Bank (NCB) Account # 371020411, Matilda’s Corner Branch. This evidence should be sent to the Agro Park Manager.
   3. The Agro Park Manager must record the payment on the Agro Investment Corporation Form 1A.

 

2. Approval and Authorization–

1. 1. The work description, for lessee/ entity/ individual, must be approved by an Agro Park Manager by way of signature. Work can be scheduled and done based on request.
   2. The tractor service work description for lessee/ entity/ individual must be authorized by the Director of Agro Park Development by way of signature. Meaning that the scheduled work described should be carried out.
   3. The approval and authorization signatures should be affixed before work can commence.

 

Agricultural Land Owner Match Programme

The Agro Investment Corporation commenced its Agricultural Land Owner Match Programme in May of last year, extensive research was carried out and it was realized that there were persons who owned vast amount of land that could be used for agricultural purposes and the land was sitting idle. The Agro Investment Corporation’s mandate is to facilitate agricultural investment and development and as such the Corporation took this to task and launched the programme to get all unused land into agricultural production.

Also, we know that the leasing process can be a hassle for some persons who are unsure of the lease proceedings especially the legal aspect of it. Therefore, Agro Invest’s aim as well is to take the hassle from land owners who are interested in lease agreements for their unused land space.  We want land owners to apply and we will do the leg work in finding a suitable investor and creating the match.

The Corporation is targeting all persons who are in legal possession of 50 acres of land or more, whether they reside locally or abroad. Therefore, there is no limit to the target market. We will facilitate all applicants if they meet the criteria. This criterion speaks to ensuring that property taxes are up to date also persons should be in possession of a valid title for the property.

Should persons have less than the 50 acres of land, we encourage them to still apply, especially if the acreage is 30 or 40 acres which is quite sizeable. Agro Investment Corporation of course will be the facilitator of this arrangement between landowner and investor/farmer. There are 2 phases to the programme.  Under the first phase of the programme landowners interested in leasing their land will apply to us and we will do background checks and site visits to determine whether the property is feasible for lease.  The second phase involves promoting the property that is up for lease to acquire a suitable match.

BENEFIT OF THE AGRICULTURAL LAND OWNER MATCH PROGRAMME TO THE COUNTRY’S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR AND, BY EXTENSION, THE ECONOMY

 

The Agricultural Land Owner Match Programme will be beneficial in many ways to the agricultural sector… A few will be outlined:

• It would certainly provide more food security as more persons would be engaged in agricultural production and this would enhance the sector greatly.
• There will be more farmers providing inputs for our Agro processing companies and this would indeed contribute to the country’s GDP. Between 1991 and 2000, agriculture’s contribution to GDP ranged between 9.2 percent in 1995 and 7.1 percent in 2000. When Agro-processed goods are added, the contribution to GDP is about 16 percent.
• Agriculture currently employs about 22 percent of the labour force, therefore with the creation of this programme it is hoped that more jobs will increase, which will up the labour force percentage, as persons seeking land to lease would most likely be employing persons to work the land.
• Since the programme have begun the Corporation has received greater interest and applications from more women and youths who are interested in leasing land, therefore this is a plus for the agricultural sector.
• The programme will assist in streamlining what is being produced. To expound on this, for persons who have an interest in leasing land to invest in agriculture but need guidance on the type of crops best suited for the land and soil type, experts in the field employed to the Corporation are available to provide recommendations to these investors as to what to produce.  Therefore, complete assessments will be done on each property under consideration.

HOW PERSONS CAN ACCESS APPLICATION FORMS FOR THE LAND MATCH PROGRAMME

Application forms can be found on the Corporation’s website at www.agroinvest.gov.jm as well as RADA’s website at www.rada.gov.jm. Both websites currently have all the information and documents that the land owner will be asked to supply.  Persons should download the forms fill them out and send them to our email address at info@agroinvest.gov.jm . There is an application fee of $5000.00.

As part of the process for the Agricultural Land Match Programme, payment instructions are emailed directly to applicants who have applied.  Applicants can either to choose to pay the application fee of J$5000.00 via four (4) methods:

1. In Office at Agro-Investment Corporation
2. In Bank Branch Payment to Agro-Invest’s Bank Account
3. ACH/RTGS Online Bank Transfer
4. Wire Transfer

AGRO INVEST CONTACT INFORMATION

Persons can contact us at 188 Spanish Town Road, Kingston 11, or call us on 876-923-9268, 876-923-0086, or 876-764-8071. Email- info@agroinvest.gov.jm

They can also visit is on our website at www.agroinvest.gov.jm and follow us on our social media pages @agroinvestja.

AIC makes 200 acres available for farming

Agro Investment Corporation (AIC) is offering 200 acres of unirrigated land for the cultivation of a range of crops that have the potential to earn farmers millions of dollars from export.

According to AIC, a market sounding was done and it was realised there was limited production islandwide of castor bean, Sea Island cotton, and orchard trees such as avocado, breadfruit, ackee, as well as coconut.

The 200 acres on AIC’s Amity Hall Agro Park in St Catherine were packaged into 40-acre parcels.

“The lease tenure is 15 years renewable. The cost per acre per annum was originally set at $6,000; however, after careful consideration and an analysis conducted on the market it was lowered to a more than reasonable $4,000,” AIC said in a news release.

The corporation said that to support the investment opportunity it has ensured there is road access to each parcel of land. Additionally, it will offer business planning advice, investment profiles for the selected crops, technical and marketing support, as well as tractor services.

“The corporation strongly recommends that farmers take advantage of this investment opportunity as research has shown that there is strong market demand for these crops. So far, there has been no systematic planting of avocados in Jamaica, therefore the opportunity now exists, with Agro Invest taking the initiative to provide land for the production of this lucrative crop,” AIC said, adding that it has advertised the offer on most media platforms.

The corporation also said that the land is a clay loam soil type, which is suitable for the cultivation of the tree crops.

“Ackee, for instance, is not only a staple of the Jamaican diet, but was ranked number two in the world by a 2011 National Geographic survey of national dishes. It is also high on the demand list for the Jamaican Diaspora in the US, Canada, and the UK,” AIC said.

“Breadfruit, another recommended tree crop, is gluten-free and has become highly sought-after for its numerous nutritional properties. Over the five-year period 2013-2017, there was a 90 per cent increase in the amount of breadfruit exported, largely to the United States market, and a 70 per cent rise in the value of the export,” AIC stated.

“Therefore, with the world moving towards gluten-free products, there is a strategic advantage for Jamaica in ramping up breadfruit production.”

In relation to castor oil, which is expected to grow in value to US$1.72 billion globally by 2025, the AIC said Jamaica is poised to benefit from this lucrative industry as use of the product is ingrained in our culture and the product extracted here is touted as one of the best in the world.

Trade analysts have attributed the projected growth in the global castor oil market to increased consumption of the product in biodiesel feedstock.

The opportunity for farmers to earn from Sea Island cotton was also highlighted by AIC, which pointed out that the product is the world’s best quality cotton based on its fibre length, silk-like quality, fineness, and texture.

“There is a high demand internationally with buyers from Switzerland, Japan, the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom,” AIC noted.

Additionally, AIC said there is growing demand for coconut water and coconut value-added products, such as coconut oil. “The potential exists for supplies to both the regional and export markets in the US, Canada, and EU.”

The AIC said anyone interested “in this investment opportunity should provide a business proposal, as well as marketing and financial information and a completed lease application form”.

A checklist of all requirements as well as application forms can be accessed from the corporation’s website at www.agroinvest.gov.jm.

Further information can be obtained by calling the AIC at 876923-0086 or 876764-8071, or visiting the AIC office at 188 Spanish Town Road, Kingston 11 to talk to representatives.

Interested individuals may also make contact through the AIC’s social media pages at agroinvestja.

Reference link: AIC makes 200 acres available for farming (jamaicaobserver.com)