First weekly banana shipment to Trinidad leaves Jamaica today
Published:Thursday | December 21, 2017 | 12:00 AM
The first of a weekly shipment of bananas from Jamaica to Trinidad is set to leave the island today.
It’s part of an export thrust restarted in 2013.
The Agriculture ministry says since 2013, there has been a steady increase in banana production from over 33 thousand tonnes up to 58,701 metric tonnes in 2016.
And export of bananas has been on the increase, moving from 78 tonnes in 2013 to 411 tonnes in 2016 with earnings of $47.7 million, following the devastation of the industry in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy.
The ministry says European Union-funded capacity building training has led to a 7.5 per cent increase in productivity in the banana industry.
It has moved from 15 tonnes per hectare in 2011 to 18,000 tonnes.
In addition, production of bananas and plantains has increased by 26 per cent in 2016.