Coffee Farmers Urged to Plant Short-Term Crops After Hurricane Melissa Losses

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, is encouraging coffee farmers in the hilly terrains to begin intercropping with short-term crops, following the loss of 40 per cent of coffee during Hurricane Melissa.

He made the call to hundreds of farmers gathered at Guava Ridge Basic School in St. Andrew, while addressing the 8th Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Day celebration, held on January 9 under the theme ‘Rebuilding a Climate-Resilient Coffee Industry’.

The event saw hundreds of coffee seedlings distributed to farmers to help replenish their fields.

“We want more coffee farmers to intercrop their coffee. We know with these new [coffee seedlings], it will take some time for you to get the return from the investment, so we want you to plant some shorter-term crops in-between the coffee, so you can get that return and use that money to continue to drive your coffee.

“We will provide you with those [short-term crop] seedlings free of cost. These hills are great for coffee, but they can grow almost everything, so we want you to do more of that, and we are leading that charge,” Mr. Green said.

The Minister also encouraged coffee farmers to contact their respective Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) officers if they are interested in obtaining seedlings for the recommended short-term crops.

Mr. Green, who reiterated that $120 million has already been allocated for recovery efforts for coffee farmers affected by Hurricane Melissa, emphasised that research on coffee must continue, as seedlings distributed a decade ago may no longer be suitable for Jamaica’s changing climate.

Based on this, he is encouraging farmers to begin research to identify coffee varieties that align with Jamaican taste profiles, with the aim of introducing, by 2027, new strains that are more climate resilient, deliver greater productivity, and can withstand emerging pests.

Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for St. Andrew East Rural, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, said the importance of Jamaica’s coffee, particularly Blue Mountain coffee, is clearly demonstrated by Japan’s recognition and hosting of Blue Mountain Coffee Day on January 9.

“Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is primarily the coffee they consume… because they want the best coffee in the world. Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee is a very special coffee, and we know it,” she said.

Meanwhile, State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, said the Government will continue to play its role in ensuring Jamaica’s coffee is exported, so that farmers and the nation at large can benefit economically.

“Our Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has been delivering an unforgettable tale of excellence [and] sensory experience to Japanese consumers, for example, for over 50 years. It has also found its way, through the hard work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and your Government, to markets in the Americas, across Africa, Asia and Europe,” he stated.

Mr. Terrelonge pointed out that, “we continue to find new markets to ensure that from your farms to across the globe, our farmers and their families can benefit from the hard-earning exchange dollars that they need to send their children to school and feed their families”.

Approximately 80 per cent of the coffee produced in Jamaica is exported to international markets.