More than 4,000 citrus plants have been distributed in Manchester as part of the Jamaican Government’s strategy to revitalize the citrus industry. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining, Floyd Green, revealed that the citrus revitalization program is being carried out in collaboration with the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI).
Green further explained that former bauxite lands in Manchester are being repurposed for the citrus replanting initiative, marking a significant step towards the revitalization of the sector.
He provided an update on the industry’s resuscitation while speaking during the 20th Jamaica Stock Exchange Investments and Capital Markets Conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday.
Green, explained that the decline of Jamaica’s citrus industry was primarily due to the devastating impact of citrus greening disease. “That wiped out the vast majority of our citrus crops; so we are on a program to build that back,” he stated.
Green emphasized that as part of the industry’s rebuilding strategy, extensive research was conducted to identify citrus varieties that are more resistant to the disease, ensuring a more resilient and sustainable crop moving forward.
“We developed some green houses at Bodles (Research Station) that focused significantly on [that]. We have come up with a couple of varieties, and we have started rolling them out,” he said.
Green advised that a program focusing on lime will also be undertaken.
“We just had a meeting yesterday about lime and rolling out a lime program because, again, we do think we have a variety that can stand up well. So what you will see over the next five years is a massive rebuilding of our citrus sector and, hopefully, rebuilt in a way that it can withstand the citrus greening disease,” he said.
– JIS News
