|
Monday, March 5, 2007
In Jamaica, the Minister for Agriculture, Roger Clarke has confirmed that current drought conditions have affected Jamaicas ability to meet its production target for the Cricket World Cup scheduled to begin this month. According to the Minister, the dry conditions have adversely affected fruit and vegetable production in some parts of the island. Nonetheless, Clarke says that systems have already been put in place to facilitate the importation of whatever produce is in short supply during the World Cup. Meanwhile farmers in the parish of St Elizabeth have complained that the drought has been compounded by the governments failure to implement an irrigation expansion project which is greatly needed in the parish which supplies most of Jamaicas agricultural produce. Farmers have complained that authorities are taking too long to repair critical infrastructure such as the water pumps that are needed to keep their crop from dying out.
|
