THE MORNING NEWS On the local news The Public Health Department in the Ministry of Health Wellness and the Environment is assuring consumers that it will continue its nationwide food inspection programme during the Christmas season. The assurance came from Senior Environmental Health Officer with responsibility for Food Safety, Carlos Wilson. Mr. Wilson said the department will continue to deliver on its mandate to ensure that the foods offered for sale on the local market, particularly meat products, are fit for human consumption. He said public health officers have been assigned to various locations throughout the country. And Persons suffering from Diabetes are being urged to conduct regular inspections of their feet to avoid the risk of developing foot ulcers, which often leads to amputations. The advice came from Diabetic Foot Health Practitioner, Janice Oliver. People with diabetes and people with poor circulation are more likely to develop foot ulcers, which are open sores on the foot that can be difficult to heal and can become infected, leading to amputations. Miss Oliver said regular inspections of the feet could significantly reduce the development of foot ulcers. She is also urging Diabetics to be mindful of the shoes which they wear. On the regional news in MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica-State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Labour, and Social Security, Luther Buchanan, is emphasizing the need for more youth involvement in agriculture, to ensure the sector’s continued growth. The minister underscored this point while addressing the Rural Agricultural Development Authority Hanover branch’s recent open day exhibition, held at the agency’s parish office in Lucea, staged under the theme: ‘Empowering Youth Involvement in Agriculture’. Voicing concern over the reluctance of more young people to opt for careers in agriculture, against the background of an aging farming population, Buchanan said “they recognize that if the... sector is to continue on its growth path and achieve renewal and continuity, they need to attract and retain (more) youth. ” To this end, he said the Government has sought to ensure that a component is reserved for youth involvement and facilitation in all major state production initiatives and programmes, such as the Agro-parks. The State Minister also advised that the administration would be engaging financial institutions to provide funding and credit for young people interested in agriculture. While he lauded the achievements of the Jamaica 4H Clubs in recruiting and engaging youth in agriculture, which, he noted, is evident with the phenomenal enrolment of 85,000 members, he, however, stressed that the challenge remains in determining how best to encourage them to choose a long-term career in the sector. And in HAVANA, Cuba-Heads of state and government of the member nations of CARICOM, together with officials from regional organizations, began arriving on Saturday in Havana to participate in today’s fifth CARICOM-Cuba summit. According to the program released to the press by the Cuban foreign ministry, starting at noon the presidents or prime ministers of Suriname, Grenada, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda were due to arrive on separate flights at José Martí International Airport in Havana. The arrival on Saturday of the heads of delegations from Barbados, Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines was also expected, along with the heads of the Association of Caribbean States, CARICOM and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. The CARICOM-Cuba mechanism was founded in December 2002, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the date when Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago decided, in a brave gesture in 1972, to establish relationships with the largest Caribbean nation in an open challenge to the embargo that the US had imposed on the island.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:30:40 +0000
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