Coffee farmers to get help to determine price of crop

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining will be conducting a study to help local coffee farmers determine a fair market price for their crop.

Speaking recently at the handover of fertilisers and herbicides to coffee farmers in the Buff Bay Valley area of Portland, Portfolio Minister, Floyd Green, said that although the Government is not responsible for setting prices, it can assist coffee farmers in determining how to fairly set their prices and engage stakeholders.

“No Government wants to regulate price, because regulation of price can sometimes lead to some effects that you don't plan for. When you regulate a price and you say that this must be the price, if the price could have gone higher, then it is not going to go higher. But I have said to the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), we have to now start saying openly what we consider a fair market price for coffee,” he said, adding that he has tasked JACRA to conduct the study.

“We need to do the field work, to look at your cost of production [and] what is a reasonable return on investment, and we say that we expect that the market price will be at least this. I have said to JACRA, we have to now implement that regime,” the Minister said.

Green added that the findings of the study will be published and that he has indicated the urgency of the request he has made of JACRA.

“The JACRA team is going to have to come out, go into the field, come up with what is the cost of production and start publishing to the buyers and to you the farmers what is considered a fair price for coffee and then you have to use that now in your engagement with the buyers,” the Minister told the farmers.

- JIS News

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