Jamaica Rice Production On Target

Jamaica's agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has expressed satisfaction with the progress being made by his ministry, as it seeks to fulfill its mandate of producing 25 % of the country's rice consumption needs within the next five to seven years.

According to Richard Saddler who heads the Jamaica Rice Industry Development Unit (JRIDU), a portion of the expected yield in November will be placed on the local market for consumption, while the remainder will be used as seedlings to cultivate more lands.

Jamaica spends roughly US$70 million annually to import approximately 100,000 MT of finished rice for local consumption, Saddler said.

Meanwhile, Dr Tufton said the country recently received millions of dollars worth of equipment from the Chinese government that will be used in the cultivation and harvesting of the crop.