PATRICK FOSTER, Observer writer fosterp@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Ministry of Agriculture is to undergo a $426-million restructuring over two years that will see the merging of internal departments and the Fisheries Division and Forestry Department converted to executive agencies.
Agriculture Minister Christopher Tufton yesterday said that the changes are being implemented after recommendations made by consultants Focal Point Limited, which was engaged in 2007, and should build capacity and effectiveness within the ministry.
"This government is committed to the modernisation of the agricultural sector to increase production and lift agricultural productivity," Tufton told journalists at a press conference held at the ministry's Hope Road, Kingston, offices. "We have taken a value chain approach to the execution of this programme".
A full roll-out of the revamp is projected to begin after the 2009 budget.
Tufton, however, said that some aspects of the restructuring have already commenced - for instance, at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) where staff complement will increase from approximately 400 to over 600, predominantly in the area of field services.
"We have already taken on the first 20 extension officers and currently recruiting an additional 40," he said.
Transitioning to executive agency status at the Fisheries Division and Forestry Department was also in progress to allow for greater accountability, the minister added.
According to Tufton, since 1996 there has been a 30 per cent decline in agricultural production and a corresponding 17 per cent decline in productivity. This decline, he argued, has been caused by many factors, chief among them the failure of the sector to keep apace with technological advances, adverse weather conditions and the pursuit of a trade policy by the previous administration that favoured cheap imports over the building of local capacity.
He said that the current phase of the restructuring focused on entities that provided direct service to farmers including: RADA, Agribusiness Council of Jamaica, the Research and Development Division, the Marketing and Credit Division, the Agriculture Credit Board (ACB), the Agriculture Development Corporation and the Agricultural Support Services Productive Projects Funding Limited (ASSPPFL).
The ACB is to be dissolved and its functions transferred to the department of co-operatives and friendly societies. Tufton explained that the ACB now regulates the PC Banks which was not a core function of his ministry. The minister's plans also include the creation of an Agribusiness Co-ordination Unit formed through the merger of the Marketing and Credit Division with the Agribusiness Council within the ministry.
"This unit will focus on marketing and provision of consulting services," said Tufton.
The ASSPPFL will also be merged with the Agriculture Development Corporation to "mobilise resources for agricultural modernisation and spearhead large strategic projects in conjunction with the private sector."
In addition, the Databank and Evaluation Division of the ministry is to be merged with RADA's agribusiness information system to improve data collection. "A major area of weakness is the lack of capacity in collecting and relaying data to end users," Tufton remarked.
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