Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, has officially broken ground for the $80-million Hartlands Irrigation Project in St. Catherine, a critical initiative designed to boost water access and climate resilience for farmers in the community.

The new mini-pressurised irrigation system will immediately benefit 41 farmers in Hartlands, with long-term plans to expand coverage across more than 400 acres of agricultural land.

Speaking at the project’s launch and sign unveiling ceremony on Tuesday (July 21), Minister Green emphasised that the infrastructure is a direct response to the compounding challenges of climate change and increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns.

“What we now recognise is that there was a time that you could easily wait on rain to fall and that would be enough for you to have your agricultural enterprise. The reality now is that is way too risky and no business can really operate like that. For you to have a viable business, you have to have some predictability. You have to have some sustainability,” Minister Green maintained.

He noted that without the ability to control the rain, irrigation systems are necessary for farmers to “run a robust agricultural enterprise”.

Minister Green disclosed that the project, which is being built out on former sugar lands by the National Irrigation Commission in partnership with the Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings (SCJH) Limited, is expected to be completed over the next three months.

“The good news is that the work has already started. We’ve already procured pipes and the teams are already out, and we do expect that this will be completed and I will return to turn on the water in another three months, maximum,” the Minister said.

He highlighted that the irrigation system is another step in providing long-term security for Hartlands farmers, who had previously struggled with land access and were frequently forced to uproot and relocate their operations.

To address this instability, the Minister explained that the Government, through the SCJH has issued formal lease agreements during the relocation process, with several farmers having already signed.

“One of the things that we set about to do was to ensure that in the relocation process that the farmers would get leases for their land that would give them security of tenure that they know when they sign those leases then they are here to stay,” the Minister said.

He implored farmers that with the irrigation system coming on stream soon, they should begin land preparations to ensure that they can take advantage of the resource and take advantage as “Christmas is around the corner”.

Minister Green further urged the farmers to use the land and expand their production, to aid the country in advancing food security.

Managing Director of SCJH, Nigel Myrie, expressed pride in being a part of the project.

He noted that the land agency manages approximately 15,200 acres of land in St. Catherine with some 6000 acres being inadequately served by aging or obsolete irrigation infrastructure including in Hartlands.

Mr. Myrie added that the Hartlands Irrigation project is the first of various initiatives that the SCJH and the NIC with support from the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Mining will be undertaking to “incrementally and systematically modernize and expand the irrigation network across the agricultural production zone here in St. Catherine”.