Kingston, Jamaica – The Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) continues to extensively support the agricultural sector through its numerous projects aimed at food security and sustainability. Implemented through its Bauxite Community Development Programme (BCDP), these initiatives represent more than JMD 279 million invested into agriculture as of March 2024.

Focusing on small and medium farming enterprises in and around bauxite spaces, the projects include greenhouse and water harvesting systems, poultry support, Hurricane Beryl disaster relief, and the Citrus Revitalization Programme.

Speaking live on RJR 94 on July 21, the Hon. Floyd Green, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, highlighted the Institute’s ongoing work regarding the Citrus Programme on bauxite lands:

“We’ve started in Manchester, where we’re distributing plants that are more disease tolerant to build back our stock of oranges and limes.”

This comes in response to the significant loss of citrus plants caused by the devastating citrus greening disease.

To date, the JBI/BCDP has distributed 1,000 plants to 500 households across several Manchester communities, including Harmons, Newport, Mandeville, Asia, Porus, Cross Keys, and Knockpatrick. This achievement marks the completion of Phase I of the project.

Phase II will see 20 acres of land in Manchester planted with citrus crops as a pilot before the end of the calendar year. Land has already been identified in Rose Hill, and the process of recruiting small farmers is underway. Each farmer will receive inputs (seedlings, fertilizers, etc.) to cultivate up to a ½ acre of land, with profits retained by the farmer.

Ultimately, the JBI plans to plant over 100 acres of citrus in Manchester and is in discussions with the Citrus Growers Association, RADA, and other stakeholders to expand plantings over the next 5–10 years.

The Bauxite Community Development Programme was established in October 1996 by the Government of Jamaica, which designated the JBI as the agency responsible for its management. Its motto, “Life After Bauxite,” underscores its aim: reinvesting earnings from the bauxite/alumina industry into long-term, sustainable projects that uplift communities affected by mining and improve socio-economic conditions.