Gov’t to remove GCT on seeds for three months

Jamaica Gleaner | 2025-12-07 | Original Article

The Ministry of Finance and Public Service has agreed to remove the General Consumption Tax (GCT) on seeds for the next three months to support farmers.

 

 

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, in making the announcement, said that the temporary waiver covers almost the entire vegetable seed line, allowing farmers to purchase seeds at significantly lower prices during the critical replanting period.

 

 

It is part of a comprehensive suite of recovery interventions to help farmers rebound from the extensive agricultural losses caused by Hurricane Melissa.

 

 

The Minister, who was speaking at the official opening of two solar-powered cold storage containers in Flagaman, St Elizabeth on Friday, December, noted that the assistance to the sector is aimed at protecting livelihoods, rebuilding production capacity, and reducing the costs to farmers as the sector pushes towards full restoration.

 

 

Noting that the damage was widespread, he said that the Ministry and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) have been working aggressively to get critical inputs back into the hands of farmers.

 

 

“Already, we have distributed about 6,500 packs of seeds… across Jamaica, at a value of $40 million. In St Elizabeth already, we have helped about a thousand farmers,” he informed.

 

 

He also highlighted ongoing support for nurseries and greenhouse operators, noting that RADA has already secured planting material to distribute free of cost.

 

 

“Over the next three months, RADA is going to be providing planting material free,” he said.

 

 

Additional assistance will include fertiliser, irrigation kits, and other inputs to accelerate production recovery.

 

 

Green noted that the support is not intended to immediately restore every farmer to pre-hurricane levels, but to reduce expenses and fast-track replanting.

 

 

“The help will never be enough to carry you back to where you were, but it is to help you with a start. It is to reduce some of your costs. Yes, it might just be two packs of seeds, but it is two packs of seeds less than you would have to buy,” he pointed out.

 

 

He encouraged farmers to view each input, whether a pack of seeds or a bag of fertiliser, as part of a broader recovery framework designed to get production going again as quickly as possible.

 

 

Green reaffirmed the Government’s long-standing position on equitable distribution, urging farmers to be patient as the process continues parish by parish.

 

 

The priority, he said, is ensuring that as many farmers as possible receive support so that the agricultural engine can return to full strength.

 

- JIS News

 

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