JBDC pushes value chain strategy to increase production of pepper products

JANINE FLETCHER-TAYLOR, Marketing Services Unit manager at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), is making the call for farmers to support the development of Jamaica’s hot pepper value chain by increasing the supply of the produce to manufacturers in the agro-processing industry.

This call comes after the JBDC led the training of 72 hot pepper farmers from St Ann, St Mary, St Catherine, Clarendon, and St Elizabeth under the ‘Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety, and Market Access Opportunities Along the Hot Pepper Value Chain in Jamaica’ project.

“Pepper is a growing concern for Jamaica because more than maybe 50 per cent of the agro-processed products that we churn out utilise pepper as one of its main ingredients,” Fletcher-Taylor stressed, “That means that in terms of a crop that you would recommend farmers to grow, this is one critical crop for our productive sector.”

This agriculture and manufacturing value chain can be a harmonious partnership that benefits both sectors. The manufacturers rely on a consistent and high-quality supply of raw materials, while the agricultural sector finds stability and market demand for its products. By collaborating and optimising their processes, both sides stand to gain.

Currently, several farmers are selling raw pepper at the farm gate, where they are earning from the produce in its lowest form. Fletcher-Taylor is encouraging farmers to diversify sales by supplying the demand for produce used by agro-processors. “Value-added forms of pepper include dehydration, freeze, mash, and so on,” she explained.

Continuing, she said Jamaican manufacturers should also diversify by innovating agro-processed goods beyond pepper sauces. “Pepper sauces have been around for a long time, but the use of pepper can go far beyond that. We are seeing some amount of diversification in agro-processing, with producers blending pepper with other ingredients to create products like pepper jelly.”

To further enhance the agro-processing industry and maintain competitiveness, Fletcher-Taylor underscored the importance of improving supply chain logistics, investing in technology, and fostering partnerships among stakeholders.

She highlighted the global recognition of Scotch bonnet pepper as a key element of Brand Jamaica, showcasing the high international demand for Jamaican-made products. “We have a brand called jerk, and anything that qualifies to use the term ‘jerk’ in front of it must, in fact, include pepper,” she said.

In November 2023, the JBDC officially opened a new agro-processing incubator located at its Incubator & Resource

Centre in Kingston. The facility was developed as part of the ‘Increasing the Export Capacity of Micro and Small Agro-Processors Using the Cluster Approach’ project, sponsored by the European Union, managed by the Caribbean Development Bank, and implemented by the JBDC.

The incubator has been developed at a time when the global demand for Brand Jamaica is steadily growing.

According to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, Jamaica generated export earnings of just over US$1.9 billion between January and December 2022. This represents a 28.4 per cent increase over the US$1.48 billion recorded for the corresponding period in 2021. The incubator will ultimately increase the ability of entrepreneurs to produce goods satisfying the required standards for entry to desired markets, while also strengthening and promoting Jamaican-made products.

The JBDC, an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce, remains committed to empowering micro, small and medium-sized enterprises through education, resources, and support.