Citrus Industry Rebounds

There is a rebound of the citrus industry, and the St. Catherine-based Trade Winds Citrus Limited (Tru-Juice brand) is leading the resurgence, says Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green.

The Minister, along with officials from his Ministry, toured the facility in Bog Walk, recently.

Mr. Green noted that in addition to its involvement in citrus, he is pleased that the company is now into dairy in a “very big way”.

The Minister said that the Government has made the dairy sector a priority, and he believes that it has tremendous possibilities. “We believe that the dairy industry has great scope for expansion,” Mr. Green said.

“We know that our citrus industry has gone through a difficult time, especially because of diseases, but we are seeing again the rebound, and Tru-Juice is leading that charge, not only in terms of oranges but I know everybody is trying to get some lime,” he said.

The Minister pointed out that the 30-acre lime farm is doing extremely well, using technology to drive production, and that the company’s 125-acre pineapple farm is seeking to meet supply demand.

Mr. Green reported that the company is not only satisfying the fresh market but they are also looking to drive down imports, and they have a plan to completely reduce any reliance on imported concentrate for pineapples, “which we think is a massive, big-plus for the food security drive”.

Mr. Green said that during his upcoming Sectoral Debate presentation in the House, he will outline a lot about the citrus revitalisation programme.

The Minister commended Trade Winds/Tru-Juice for its contribution to the agricultural industry.