JBDC Calls on Farmers to Supply More Hot Peppers to Manufacturers

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is calling on local farmers to bolster the nation’s agro-processing sector by increasing the supply of hot peppers to manufacturers.

This appeal follows the successful training of 72 hot pepper farmers from the parishes of 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.

Manager of the Marketing Services Unit at the JBDC, Janine Fletcher-Taylor, emphasised the importance of hot pepper production in Jamaica’s agro-processing industry, in an interview with JIS News.

“Pepper is a growing concern for Jamaica because more than 50 per cent of the agro-processed products that we churn out utilise pepper as one of its main ingredients. This means that [pepper] is one critical crop that you would recommend farmers grow,” she explained.

With the increasing demand for Jamaican-made products, Mrs. Fletcher-Taylor highlighted the need for a reliable and consistent supply of high-quality peppers to support both local and international markets.

She urged farmers to move beyond selling raw produce at farm gates and to explore opportunities to supply manufacturers involved in value-added processes, such as dehydration, freezing, and mashing.

“Right now, many farmers are selling their pepper in its raw form at farm gates. While this provides immediate benefits, there’s so much more potential by supplying agro-processors,” Mrs. Fletcher-Taylor noted.

Farmers are also encouraged to diversify their product offerings by innovating agro-processed goods beyond pepper sauces.

The Marketing Services Unit Manager stressed that “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,” she added.

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

“The global recognition of Scotch bonnet pepper is 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.

To help support local farmers and manufacturers, the JBDC opened a new agro-processing incubator located at its Incubator & Resource Centre in Kingston late last year.

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 (EU), managed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and implemented by the JBDC.

The incubator will increase the ability of entrepreneurs to produce goods satisfying required standards for entry to desired markets, while also strengthening and promoting Jamaican-made products.