‘Get your share of the pie’ - Floyd Green urges youth to invest in agriculture

Junior industry minister Floyd Green said young persons need to "take a share" of the tourism pie, through participation in agriculture.

Noting that the tourism industry, in particular, consumes some $40 billion worth of the locally produce annually, Green said the income-earning potential is great.

"I hope that all of you will get a share. There are so many items that we are not producing anyway near the demand for in Jamaica, and you should be thinking about how you can start your own farm," Green said, adding that Jamaica imports US$900 million worth of food each year.

The minister was speaking at the Jamaica 4-H Clubs recent National Youth In Agriculture Symposium at the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Mandeville, Manchester. The event, staged under the theme 'I am Agri-Smart', aimed to generate increased youth awareness about sector developments, with particular focus on agriculture education, entrepreneurship, and climate change-related issues.

Green said that the Government would shortly be launching a 'road map' programme for youth in agriculture, to address issues such as financing.