Gov’t To Embark On US$1.05 Million Agri-Business Cold Chain Project

The Government will be embarking on a US$1.05 million (approximately $157 million) Agri-Business Cold Chain project for Jamaica (ABC Jamaica).

This initiative will take place over 18 months through grant funding of US$945,000 from the Government of Morocco.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, who made the announcement during his 2021/22 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (May 12), said that the project will address the need for adequate cold storage facilities to stem the up to 30 per cent post-harvest loss of perishable fruits and vegetables.

“The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic again brought this into sharp focus and underscored the need to develop reliable and efficient cold chains that will not only reduce post-harvest crop losses but also prevent forced sales at low prices,” he noted.

The project will include the establishment of mobile pre-cooling and packing facilities in highly productive farming areas.

These include modular, solar-powered, walk-in cold rooms that provide unbroken, off-grid storage and preservation of perishable foods in close proximity to farming clusters, and small refrigerated trucks for transportation of produce to markets.

It will also provide a network of temperature data loggers in both cold rooms and trucks that farmers can monitor remotely using their cellular phones

Minister Green said that the Government of Morocco has also offered assistance with fertilisers, soil research and analysis.