Samuda wants cassava cultivation to expand to 10,000 acres of land

Managing Director of Red Stripe Ricardo Nuncio, Hon Karl Samuda, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries; and Wentworth Charles, chairman, SCJ Holdings Limited; sign a 25-year lease agreement for 247 hectares of land at Windsor Park and Worchester in St. Catherine for the cultivation of cassava today (May 5) at the Ministry’s St. Lucia Ave offices in Kingston. Standing, from left, are Dr. Cavell Francis-Rhiney of Red Stripe; Permanent Secretary Donovan Stanberry; John Gayle, chief executive officer, SCJ Holdings Limited; Debbie Ann Scott, lawyer, SCJ Holdings Limited; and Peter Thompson, director, SCJ Holdings Limited.

Hon Karl Samuda, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, says he wants to see 10,000 acres of former cane lands transition to the cultivation of cassava. He was speaking at the signing of a 25-year lease agreement between SCJ Holdings Ltd and Red Stripe for 247 hectares of lands located at Windsor Park and Worchester in St. Catherine for the expansion of cassava cultivation.
At the signing ceremony held at the Ministry’s St. Lucia offices in Kingston on Friday, May 5, a 25-year lease was also signed for the Windsor Park Well to ensure adequate water supply for the project.
Minister Samuda expressed appreciation to Red Stripe for the introduction of applied technology to its brewing process to enable utilisation of cassava in the production of its products and said he wanted to see cassava production expanded so as to target the export market.
“This is an excellent start to something that I think is going to bear great fruit in the future,” said Samuda, who said his Ministry’s relationship with Red Stripe has the effect of reducing import, and expanding employment opportunities and appropriate training, especially for young people.
Since 2014, the Government has partnered with Red Stripe in its Project Grow initiative to increase the use of local raw material, in particular cassava, in the brewing of their products through the leasing of 304 hectares of land.
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