St. Andrew East Rural Coffee Farmers Get Supplies to Boost Production

Scores of coffee farmers in St. Andrew East Rural have received a donation of fertilisers and herbicides from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA).

The supplies, which include 8,000 bags of fertiliser, 10,000 coffee seedlings, rodenticide, attractant, and cacao seedlings, were handed over on Tuesday (May 20)  at Resource Square in Cinchona, St. Andrew.

The items were provided under the Crop Restoration and Expansion Programme (CREP), which is focused on increasing the yield and productivity of coffee farmers.

It involved collaboration with Hi-Pro, Newport-Fersan (Jamaica) Limited, Caribbean Chemicals Jamaica Limited and St. Jago Farm and Hardware Store.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, in his address at the presentation ceremony, said that the supplies were to offset the production costs for the farmers.

He informed that $32 million has been earmarked to assist the farmers to expand coffee yields.

“Additionally, we’ll be looking to pair a number of you with some chemical houses and you’ll see that a number of our input suppliers are here, and the idea is to ensure that we can form some relationships so that you can get better costs. We know one of the big challenges you have is the cost of inputs,” Minister Green said, noting that items like fertilisers and chemicals drive up production costs.

He said that the distribution of the supplies will also ensure that farmers have access to adequate and effective planting materials.

The Minister noted that there are some farmers who are still using seeds that have outlived their usefulness, which will affect the size of yields.

“That is why we’re here. It’s not just to give you some inputs and say ‘well done’. It is to ensure that when you get these inputs, you invest in your agricultural enterprise and make it more productive, so at the end of the day, you can get more returns on your investment,” he said.

Director General (Acting) of JACRA, Wayne Hunter, informed that farmers will receive further support through the agency in the form of training programmes to ensure that they adhere to proper agricultural practices.

He said that JACRA will be encouraging more coffee farmers to venture into producing value-added coffee products.

“We’ve seen a lot of interest in by-products, for example coffee scrubs, and there are a number of others [like] coffee soap, coffee-scented candles, and lotions. Those are added things that our farmers can get into,” he pointed out.

Mr. Hunter urged the farmers to take part in the upcoming training sessions so that the best quality coffee can be produced and sold locally and internationally.

Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, welcomed the support to the coffee farmers.

She urged the beneficiaries to use the items they have received wisely.

“We cannot take for granted the support that we are getting… we have to use it to build a business, build it, build it, build it. It is important for us to understand that,” Mrs. Holness said.

She highlighted the need for good-quality coffee to meet international demand.

Mrs. Holness, who indicated that she had travelled to Kobe, Japan, recently, noted that Blue Mountain Coffee is a favourite in the country, but due to inconsistency in quality, a market has been created for other lower-quality coffee brands that are charging a fraction of the price of the locally grown product.

“So, farmers… put back into your farm, because if you replant and if you use proper pesticide, fungicide, and fertiliser, and if you manage the farm well, I promise you, I make a commitment to you, your farm is going to start to put out more and more and more,” she said.