Local farmers are being urged to heed the advice of official communication from the relevant agencies during periods of extreme heat, to safeguard their animals and crops.

Speaking recently at the launch of the Heifer Redistribution Programme at Serge Island Dairies in St. Thomas, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, reminded that “the heat is on”.

“It’s very, very important that the farmers listen to the advisories that are coming out from entities like the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) about how you care for your animals in this extreme heat,” Mr. Green said.

“We can’t do business the same way and expect the same returns when we appreciate that the climate has changed. Access to water on your farms is critical,” he added.

The Minister pointed out that the Ministry has already started to roll out a $140-million drought mitigation programme, where it has been providing trucked water to both livestock and outdoor and field farmers.

“We will continue on that drive… . And we’re going to be working with the Jamaica Dairy Development Board and RADA to see what else we can do under our drought mitigation programme to help our farmers,” Mr. Green said.

Some of the interventions he outlined include providing storage for livestock farmers, “so that they have adequate water supply that they can treat with their animals”.

“So, we’ll be working to distribute some water tanks to our livestock farmers to help during these difficult times,” the Minister said.