JAS Launches Eat Jamaican Essay Competition

KINGSTON — The Jamaica Agricultural Society’s (JAS) 'Eat Jamaican' campaign, designed to improve the lot of the more than 200,000 local farmers while easing the pressure on the country’s food import bill, will be targeting students between six and 18 years of age this year.

The announcement was made at the launch of the JAS “Eat Jamaican” Essay Competition, at their Church Street head office, downtown Kingston on Friday September 23. It will challenge students to produce essays on, “What does Eat Jamaican mean to you?”

Providing an overview of the competition, JAS Eat Jamaican Coordinator, Jannett Pullen, explained that this year, for the first time, the campaign will include the essay competition, which will provide a medium for the youth to express, in a creative way, what exactly eating Jamaican means to them, as well as raise awareness of the benefits to be derived from consuming more local produce.

JAS President, Glendon Harris, in encouraging student participation, noted that they are the decision makers of tomorrow, and it is never too early to condition them to appreciate the value of consuming local agricultural production.

The Eat Jamaica Essay Competition will be held in two categories: category 1 for students aged 6 – 12 years old; and Category 2, for those aged 13 to 18 years old. There will be parish events, with the top achievers moving onto the regional stage, and culminating with the national awards on Eat Jamaican Day, November 25. Applications should be sent to JAS parish offices by October 25.

JAS first vice-president, Senator Norman Grant, told JIS News that the Essay Competition is one of several projects being introduced by the organization, to promote its Eat Jamaican campaign.

He said that in addition to the annual  Eat Jamaican Day on November 25 and a week of promotions which will follow, the JAS will be seeking to re-establish a partnership with the Bureau of Standards to ensure that only the best quality Jamaican produce are sold at main outlets, like supermarkets.

“We want to have a seal of approval from the Bureau of Standards which we want the retailers to display in the areas of their outlets where local produce is sold, establishing that the produce on sale are certified as meeting the Bureau’s standards, so that consumers can be assured of quality products,” Senator Grant explained.

 He said that previous partnerships between the JAS and the Bureau have resulted in substantial increases in sales for farmers, as the quality of the local produce were so high consumers saw no difference in comparisons with imported produce.    

By Allan Brooks, JIS Senior Reporter