Tourism Linkages Network To Assist Farmers Sell Produce

Farmers affected by the closure of hotels due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), will receive assistance from the Tourism Linkages Network to offload their produce.

This was disclosed by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who noted that through the use of technology, the Network will be supporting small famers to connect their supplies to market.

“Now that the hotels are closed, we are working with them to enable connectivity to restaurants, to supermarkets and to also provide opportunities for community marketing arrangements,” he said, while addressing a digital press briefing on Thursday (April 9).

Mr. Bartlett said the Network is also working with the farm community to enable supplies to be made available in tourism communities.

“Tourism can’t respond to everything, but I believe we have a responsibility to deal with the communities that are immediately around the hotels. They have problems and in trying to help all around, the Network is working with the farmers to provide supplies access for people who are having to respond to the quarantining arrangements, the (stay in place) policy,” he said.

The Minister further noted that Head of the Network, Carolyn McDonald Riley, has been working with Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, and State Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, to put in place other initiatives to enable the supplies that are now in the field to be taken off the farmers.

The primary goal of the Tourism Linkages Network is to ensure that Jamaica’s tourism sector becomes better integrated with other productive sectors, such as agriculture and manufacturing.

The objective is to increase the consumption of local goods, create employment, and generate and retain more of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.