More land being allocated for agriculture

A number of young people waiting for land to pursue their agriculture careers could soon receive a call from the authorities.

The Wakefield Centre of Agriculture Research project has allocated 50 acres of farming land to small landless farmers.

Anderson Eversley, Manager Area 2 of Barbados Agriculture Management Company (BAMC), told members of the media today during a press conference at Wakefield, St John, this morning that the project is expected to get underway in a matter of days.

“That project will start earnestly beginning next week and once the land cultivation is finished then we would be able to site the landless farmers on 50 acres of land which we have here. This is also one of the major plants of the Government’s social policy which is being implemented by the BAMC,” Eversley said.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for St John Charles Griffith, who also attended the press conference held to announce plans for the 2021 sugar crop season, said he was pleased to hear the development as it relates to the farming project because several young people have been calling him inquiring about a start date.

“This started post-2018. The truth is prior to that all of this land was just bush. So in addition to the farmers that are coming, I am very pleased that St John is going to be greening again as it relates to agriculture.

“The youngsters that are supposed to go on that 50 acres of the land have been calling on a regular basis but we know there was some impact in relation to the rain so the heavy equipment could not go and facilitate the [process of preparing the land]. But I know that this is welcoming news to hear that from next week the project will be up and running and that is definitely a plus,” Griffith said.

Griffith indicated that it is significant that the project was coming to St John because over 30 persons have signed up for a piece of that land at Wakefield as an opportunity to launch their farming career. (AH)