JCEA On Drive To Increase Export Of Coffee

President of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA), Norman Grant, says the Association is engaged in several processes that should increase the export of coffee over the next five years.

“We have engaged the new Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and out of a coffee workshop [with the] Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) we have developed a plan to look at an injection of a billion dollars over five years in the development of coffee. That will move our production from the current 270,000 boxes to 450,000 boxes over five years,” he noted.

He was speaking at the official launch of the Caribbean Export Development Agency project that will support the Jamaican Coffee Sector’s interest in the EU market, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on January 27.

“The weighted average income generated from coffee over the last 10 years is US$25 million,” Mr. Grant said.

“So, at the end of the next five-year cycle, [it will be] $50 million [with] an incremental growth rate of five per cent, per annum, over the next 10 years. If we achieve [this], the coffee industry can generate for the Jamaican economy US$100 million, [which can] support 5,000 farmers and 102,000 farm families,” he further disclosed.

Mr. Grant noted that the market report issued by the Global Coffee Market in September 2021, projected that the coffee market will grow by 7.6 per cent incrementally by 2025, adding that this will realise a global market value for coffee at $445 billion.

Meanwhile, he said that expanding support for the Jamaican Coffee sector in the European Market is “timely”.

“We are focusing on quality. We are focusing on also diversifying the market. Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) has just reached out to Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) with another project to drive global demand in other markets outside of Asia,” he noted.

On that note, Mr. Grant added that the JCEA will also “refresh Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee in the Japanese and United States markets”.

“If we can grow the production, then there are more jobs for our people, more coffee farmers and more foreign exchange earned,” he said.