Above: Ambassador Nuno with Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham (FP: BIS)

The Spanish government has donated $30 million to establish a regional Centre for Excellence in Advanced Technology for Agriculture, aiming to give a boost to Caribbean farming.

The grant was announced by Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica Maria Celsa Nuno at the opening of the CARICOM/Spain Technical Cooperation Programme for the Training of Greenhouse Technicians in Kingston Tuesday.

“There is little practical application to assist farmers in the field to improve their methods of production,” said Agriculture Minister Robert Montague. “We are hoping to change this, and today’s opening of the [facility] is a step in that direction.”

The centre’s aims include defining the agricultural research agenda, linking critical entities engaged in agricultural research and developing a practical model to help with training.

The training will be provided by consultants from Spain’s Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimantries (IRTA_,

Funding for the programme was provided by the Agency for International Development Cooperation, as part of a wider partnership with Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

It will also serve other Caribbean states, through a greenhouse training programme.

As part of the grant, Spain donated two high-tech greenhouses, which will be located in Manchester and St Elizabeth in Jamaica.

–Jamaica Information Service