Jamaica and Cuba sign MOU on Agriculture Development

Making the disclosure this afternoon, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton who is in Havana, Cuba, as part of the Bruce Golding led delegation, said this support would include soil preparation and management of veterinary services, fruit tree crop production, the development of improved productivity in tubers such as sweet potatoes and cassava. He said the agreement would allow for Cuban experts to come to Jamaica to work with their Jamaican counterparts as well as Jamaicans going to Cuba to work with Cubans in their various research institutions.

´We want to get into the implementation stage within the next month. We have one final agreement which we are trying to sort out which is a fighter sanitary agreement between both countries which will allow for products to move from one country to the next, with the necessary quarantine structures in place´, Dr Tufton said.

Dr. Tufton said once this other aspect of the agreement is signed which is expected to be completed sometime in June, Jamaica will proceed with implementation. He said the first stage of the implementation would be to get technical support in the area of extension services to add to Jamaica’s RADA programme. Dr Tufton said the main focus would be on soil preparation and water management which are critical to boost the productivity levels of Jamaica’s farmers.

He said all the parties were happy with the agreement signed today. The Minister said government is moving to put everything in place by identifying the personnel who will move from one country to the next so that as soon as the other aspect of the agreement is signed by June, Cubans should begin arriving in Jamaica and Jamaicans going to Cuba to learn a number of procedures.

The Minister accompanied Prime Minister Bruce Golding on a tour this afternoon of one of Cuba’s protected green houses ´Las Guasimas´ in the Arroyo Naranjo municipality. Dr Tufton said he was impressed with the protected culture farm and that Jamaica would be looking at a number of the agricultural programmes that the Cubans have with a view to adopting them.

The Jamaican delegation led by Prime Minister Bruce Golding will return to the island tomorrow. The delegation includes four other Ministers ‘Minister of Health and the Environment, Dr Ruddy Spencer, Tourism Minister, Ed Bartlett, Water and Housing Minister, Dr Horace Chang, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Kenneth Baugh.