MONTPELLIER, St James – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has announced plans to use lands at the Knockalva Polytechnic College in St James for fodder as part of the Government’s drive to develop the dairy industry.

Speaking at the Montpelier Agricultural and Industrial Show in St James on Easter Monday, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green disclosed plans to also set up a milking parlour, among other initiatives, at the St James training institution.

“The plan is to introduce some cattle, to use some of the land to make fodder and also look at a milking parlour. So it is a bigger programme that we have across the island but we will tie it into Knockalva [Polytechnic College],” Green told Observer Online. 

“We are looking at a multi-dimensional plan to really put some capital support behind Knockalva. Clearly, they are a good training institution but still have a lot of potential, a lot of land underutilised. So we are looking at various elements. One is dairy. So we are working with the [Jamaica] Dairy Development Board,” he added.

He also revealed plans to revitalise the once-booming banana industry in southern St James.