Jamaica’s agriculture lagging behind region

EVEN AFTER breaking into the international market, local agro-processors continue to face many challenges to keep their market share, much less expand.

Some of these obstacles include the lack of an enabling environment at home, according to David Crum-Ewing.

The GraceKennedy Foods and Services business development executive was among six representatives of companies who spoke on the topic, Agro-Processing Opportunities for Agricultural Produce, at the recent market networking seminar held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.

He highlighted four fundamental areas in which Jamaica still trails the world and which need to be addressed with urgency by paying greater attention to soil management, using good planting material, using better fertilisers and pesticides, and employing more technology.

“Soil is what grows our product and I don’t think Jamaica and the agricultural sector understand the importance of managing the soil and the inputs the impact your soil has on your crops,” the GraceKennedy executive declared.

Further, Crum-Ewing lamented the situation in respect to planting material. Jamaica is using third and fourth generation planting material, with the same being true for the pesticides and fertilisers available to local farmers, he charged.

“When I see Costa Rica producing an acre of Scotch bonnet (pepper) 44,000 pounds per acre and in Jamaica we celebrate when we are producing 18,000 pounds per acre, it is ridiculous. Jamaica should own Scotch (bonnet), Scotch originated in Jamaica,” he said.

“We can’t have Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Thailand, all these places growing Scotch and yes, the flavour is not that good as ours, but the advances that they are making and the pace that they are moving, if we don’t do something soon, they will leapfrog us. So we need to work on these things,” Crum-Ewing warned.

According to foods and services expert, there are new generation pesticides and fertilisers that are not available in Jamaica which are available to its competitors, which is why those countries are getting better products and better yields.

He went on to insist that there needs to be an improvement in the regulations for allowing these products into Jamaica, to ensure that they are safe and meet local safety standards, and also that the best resources and materials are made available to local farmers.

EXPANSION MODE

Meanwhile, Executive Director of Spur Tree Spices Jamaica Limited, Mohan Jagnarine, whose company produces a wide range of spices and seasonings, explained that they are in serious expansion mode, with a number of factories and processing facilities due to come on stream soon. He shocked the audience upon disclosing that after 17 years in the export business, they were only able to get a price increase a year ago, for which they faced serious pushback.

“The market in the USA don’t like to give you price increases and when we had to do a price increase because everything went up, packaging, everything, some of the big chains, they told us, ‘If you don’t give four months’ notice for a price increase, take your products away’. Now if you have to give somebody four months’ notice, you still have to absorb the loss. So the point I am making is that we all have to do this together,” Jagnarine informed. “You have to farm as a business and we will buy from you.”

Peppers, scallion, onion, callaloo, thyme, cassava and breadfruit are among the raw materials Spur Tree Spices uses in its production line and with a 40-square-foot ackee processing factory set to open in Holland Bamboo, St Elizabeth, and the acquisition of a new factory in Port Morant, St Thomas, as well as 51 per cent interest in Canco Limited, which has the Linstead Market brand, the company has shown that it is serious about business. In light of the expansion plans, the company is looking to forge new partnerships with farmers.

“So we are not joking about agro-processing opportunities. The opportunities are there and will always be there, but farmers have to look at it as a business. If you don’t look at it as a business, it’s not going to work for none of us and I don’t want people to not go into farming. I want a win-win situation. I must win, you must win, the consumer must win and we all win,” said Jagnarine.

Elizabeth Fitzgerald, general manager of Tijule Company Limited, disclosed that the issue of pricing of raw materials is critical for the Palmer’s Cross-based outfit, which is located just outside of May Pen, Clarendon. Having been in operation for 10 years, it sources ackee, scallion, callaloo, cassava, red peppers, Scotch bonnet peppers, Keitt and Tommy Atkins mangoes, as well as ripe bananas, pineapple, passion fruit and turmeric. From these it produces a range of sauces, seasonings, jams and jellies, canned ackee and callaloo, with the Clarendon Blends line of fruit juices, the latest addition.

“The base of our operations is our raw materials. We seek to have good partnerships with our suppliers,” Fitzgerald noted. “Pricing, that is something that needs discussion as we as an export company are also not able to react to price changes because it is hard to pass these on to the customers.”