Custos Urges Jamaicans to Buy Local Produce

Custos of St. James, Hon. Ewan Corrodus, says the time has come for all Jamaicans to truly embrace the buy Jamaican campaign, especially in the area of agriculture.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the St. James Agricultural Branch Societies on June 25, at the St. John’s Methodist Church Hall in Montego Bay, Custos Corrodus said based on Jamaica’s present economic situation and the continued dedication of the nation’s farmers,  support for the programme is now more important that before.

“The time has come when we need to eat what we grow and grow what we eat. Too often whenever we get hungry we reach for the imported fast foods and other non-Jamaican products, instead of supporting the farmers by eating something Jamaican, which is more nutritious,” the Custos asserted.

“If we are really going to help our country, we have got to start buying into the mission of eating what we grow and growing what we eat. Millions of dollars are being spent annually on the importation of food that can be grown right here in Jamaica. We need to start helping ourselves and help our country by eating what is grown here,” he added.

Encouraging the farmers to continue producing, the Custos said there needs to be better coordination between the farmers and the supporting agencies in ensuring that there is no over-production of any food items.

“When everyone plants the same crop, the price on the market will be much less than if some people were producing other items. It is unfair to you farmers to invest so much time and money into the planting of these crops and at reaping time, there is an oversupply which results in a reduction in earnings,” he argued.

The Custos said the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) and other supporting agencies should seek to continue working closely with the farmers, to ensure that they get the best technical support possible to ensure that the sector remains vibrant.