November designated Eat Jamaica Month

Jamaicans now have another good reason to partake of more locally produced meals. The month of November has been designated Eat Jamaican Month 2013 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

This was announced by portfolio Minister, Roger Clarke during the World Food Day Ceremony held last Wednesday at the Greater Portmore High School in St Catherine under the theme, Healthy People Depend on Healthy Food Systems – Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition.

According to the minister, Eat Jamaican Month represents another step in the ongoing Eat Jamaican Campaign aimed at encouraging Jamaicans to consume local foods in order to boost local agricultural production.

The month-long series of events coincide with the 10th anniversary of the “Grow what we eat; Eat what we grow” campaign launched in 2003 by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS).

Minister Clarke said the campaign should not be seen as a simplistic appeal. It is a national call for action, he said, and encouraged all Jamaicans to play their part in responding to the appeal to plant something and/or consume more local foods.

“I believe,” Minister Clarke said, “that we all wish to see the day when we eat more of what we produce locally in order to reduce our huge food import bill, which now stands at some US$1 billion.”