The Ministry of Agriculture will soon begin the process for the National Farmer Registration Programme.

The programme will entitle farmers to agricultural training and incentives, but farmers first need to apply and undergo an approval process, said Alicia Daniel-George, the acting Director of Agricultural Services.

“We’re starting the registration process with Regions One and Two, then moving to Region Three, and so on, until we cover the entire island,” Mrs. George said. “On the day of registration, the farmer will bring in a passport-sized photo and a $25 registration fee that covers the cost of the ID card. The ID cards that the farmers are issued will be valid for two years and within that time we are requesting that farmers provide updated information on at least two cropping cycles. If the data is not provided, the ID will not be renewed.”

Prior to registration, the Ministry of Agriculture will inform farmers and the wider public of the location. The process may take up to two weeks in each region depending on the number of farmers, Mrs George said.

“We will be disseminating posters and flyers in the various regions. Initially, the registration will be done in each region consecutively, so our team from the marketing and extension unit will be going to one region every two weeks to register the farmers.”

The National Farmer Registration Programme will help track production schedules in order to make up for market deficiencies.