The soil of St. Mary
is universally fertile; the hills and mountains are clothed with noble
woods, full of the largest timber trees and the water is equal to any
in the world for purity. History has indicated that it wasn't until
about the year 1736 that platers seriously bring the land into cultivation.
Back in the day, the poor condition of the roadways impeded the the
parish's overall development. There was no marl road for the for huge
tanks, no handy road metal, no foundation for cart roads; therfore trasportation
via heavy clays and frequent streams was difficult.
The mountains of St. Mary are described to be cool and healthy in contrast to other mountains in Jamaica that are hot and unhealthy. St. Mary mountains enable the use of mules and hampers for transport.
There was an Act for for the Encouragment of Immigartaion established in 1843, which saw liberated Africans being distributed principally to 20 estates in St. Mary. Also, of the 37,000 immigrants who came from india, a large period served their period of indenture in the parish.
The following towns: Bailey Vale, Aleppo, Trinity, Belfied Pen, and Coffie Piece in St. Mary are said to be Coolie or Hindu towns established by the Indentured Indians who settled in the parish during the historical period of the parishes rich agricultural history.
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During the period 1867-1900 many sugar estates in St. Mary were abandoned. A caribbean historian estimated that St. Mary produced about 24-25 percent of Jamcaica's total of sugar.
The cutting of smooth-leafed banana seemed a more convenient job than reaping the icchy sugar cane. Farmers recognized the profitability of growing bananas, but small scale farmers could not compete with plantation producers. This makes it difficult for small settlers has the estates were sold intact, rather than subdivided into lots.
Pioneers in extensive banana cultivation in St. Mary were George Solomon and A.L. DaCosta at quebec estate. Dr. Pringle, borned in Scotland 1848, initially worked as a medical Officer in St. Mary and later became one of the most successful banana planters in the parish. The Pringle holding in St. Mary formed almost the entire holdings of the Atlantic Fruit Company. In Highgate, St, Cyperian's, the Anglican Church has often been reffered to in the past as the Banana Church.
Former Agriculture Minister, Roger Clarke has unveiled a slew of projects being undertaken by the Ministry in the parish of St. Mary, aimed at eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable social and economic development.
These initiatives include the implementation of a plantain production and marketing project; goat improvement, irrigation, ginger, milk marketing and bee keeping sub-projects; and the rehabilitation of roads.
Minister Clarke, who was delivering the main address at the opening of the 18th annual St. Mary Agri Expo at the James Bond Beach in Oracabessa on Sunday (March 27), also revealed that the Agricultural Support Services Project (ASSP) had approved the construction of an ornamental fish farm in the community of Iterboreale to provide product for export, and the development of a bio- digester in Rosend to provide energy to run a pig farm and an abattoir.
He noted that the projects were in keeping with the government's strategy to boost the local and national economies, by creating sectoral partnerships, especially with tourism. Such partnerships, he indicated, were critical in furthering the goals of the Ministry's agricultural development strategy for 2005/2008, because of the implication for integrated rural development.
Minister Clarke declared that the government was working closely with the island's farmers to properly organize the agricultural sector and place it on a sound footing.
He further paid tribute to the farmers for the resilience they have shown in the face of challenges and encouraged them to continue efforts to increase and diversify agricultural production for the domestic and export markets.
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