Govt must apply policies to preserve water resources - minister

The government of Jamaica must urgently implement policies and new mechanisms to preserve water resources and secure the nation's food supply, according to agriculture and fisheries minister Christopher Tufton. The country's farmers must incorporate technology to allow effective management of their water resources, ensuring availability for domestic use as well as farming and industrial purposes, Tufton said at the official launch of Green Expo 2011 in capital Kingston. The agriculture and fisheries ministry has been pursuing the expansion of drip irrigation, noting that traditional methods such as flood irrigation have proven obsolete, government news agency JIS reported. Green Expo, an environmental exposition organized by the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT), seeks to raise public awareness of environmental issues locally, regionally, and globally and promote the use of environmentally friendly products and services. This year's event will be held in New Kingston from June 10-12.