Local Horticulturalists Encouraged to Take Advantage of Export Market
By: , April 30, 2018The Key Point:
Photo: Michael Sloley
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw (centre), inspects a plant at the opening of the Jamaica Horticultural Society’s Flower Show 2018 on Friday, April 27, at the Society’s showground in Hope Pastures, Kingston. The show was held under the theme: ‘Nature’s Beauty – Our Duty’. At right is President of the Jamaica Horticultural Society, Dr. Janine Dawkins, and at left is President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Norman Grant.The Facts
- “We need to take that step and seek to isolate a number of our flowers that are unique to Jamaica and turn them into an industrial export commodity, so that we can create jobs and earn some great profit,” he said.
- The Minister was speaking at the opening of the Jamaica Horticultural Society’s Flower Show 2018 on April 27, at the Society’s showground in Hope Pastures, Kingston.
The Full Story
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, is encouraging local horticulturalists to take advantage of the commercial opportunities in the international market.
“We need to take that step and seek to isolate a number of our flowers that are unique to Jamaica and turn them into an industrial export commodity, so that we can create jobs and earn some great profit,” he said.
The Minister was speaking at the opening of the Jamaica Horticultural Society’s Flower Show 2018 on April 27, at the Society’s showground in Hope Pastures, Kingston.
Mr. Shaw commended the group for its 63 years of committed service to preserving and showcasing the country’s natural beauty, and urged for this wealth of experience to be used to satisfy the international demand for products for landscaping and decorating purposes in the hotel industry and residential developments.
“I would like to invite you to start thinking about commercial and industrial (production). Start looking at your lines to see which of them can become an industrial crop that can be targeted to an increasingly sophisticated world that will pay money for what we can produce here,” he said.
“We need to be thinking as entrepreneurs and thinking how we can take this natural beauty that we enjoy and let it become part of our national solution to productivity and wealth creation,” the Minister added..
For her part, President of the Jamaica Horticultural Society, Dr. Janine Dawkins, said the show’s theme: ‘Nature’s Beauty – Our Duty’, seeks to highlight the important role of horticulture in the environment.
“The theme for this year really seeks to bring home the environmental impact of horticulture and nature and what we must do to preserve our natural environment to ensure the future for our children,” she explained.
The event was held from April 28 to 29 and showcased a variety of endemic species of flora and fauna and agricultural products from over 90 vendors and exhibitors.