TRELAWNY, JAMAICA — Agriculture Minister Floyd Green visited the southern community of Trelawny on Wednesday to address the yam rust disease that has been affecting local crops. During his visit, Green distributed pesticides to farmers and announced plans to use technology to assist in combating the disease.
Green highlighted the challenges faced by farmers in the region, particularly the difficulty in finding labor for spraying pesticides. “We will be distributing pesticides as part of a larger program to help farmers apply them,” Green said. To address the labor shortage, he revealed that the ministry is exploring the use of drones for spraying yam fields in areas where manual labor is scarce.
In addition to distributing pesticides, the ministry is also providing spraying pans to farmers and encouraging them to actively participate in the application process. “We are cultivating thousands of yams in all directions, so apart from supplying pesticides, we are also urging farmers to take necessary measures on-site,” Green added.
Upon discovering the yam rust outbreak, the Ministry of Agriculture allocated approximately $9 million to procure chemicals needed to combat the disease. Green emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We’re doing the research, but we can’t wait until we decide what’s best. Once we see the effectiveness, we have to provide the pesticides to farmers so they can start spraying and slow the spread of this disease.”
The initiative aims to mitigate the impact of yam rust on the region’s yam production and support local farmers in maintaining their crops.
