Morocco Donates $800,000 in Fertilizer to Boost Jamaican Agriculture Amid Global Price Surge

Jamaica has received 1,200 tons of fertilizer from Morocco worth 122 million Jamaican dollars (7.74 million dirhams), Pearnel Charles Jr., Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, announced at a press conference. According to him, this aid is timely, as Jamaican farmers are facing both the consequences of the pandemic and the global rise in agricultural input prices. "This donation is part of a larger technical assistance program that will examine Jamaica’s soil fertility in order to address some underlying issues in the agricultural sector," he specified. Technical training in soil fertility analysis for ministry staff is also planned as part of this program.

Despite the delay in the arrival of this shipment due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Jamaica "was convinced that its Moroccan friends would not let up their efforts to ensure delivery," Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s Foreign Minister, told the The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, while thanking Morocco for "its commitment to South-South cooperation and the deepening of the ties that exist between the two countries." She also hailed a "very solid track record of cooperation between Jamaica and Morocco since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2008."