Coming as it has on the heels of a major national agro-processing forum, the current glut of fresh fruit and vegetables on the local market provides a sobering reminder of just how far behind we are in our quest to create a viable industry out of adding value to agricultural produce.
This week, tomatoes were trading in municipal markets and on the streets at prices as low as $40 per pound. At those prices, some are bound to end up rotting and being disposed of. The simple truth is that whether it be tomato or any other fruit or vegetable, in bountiful times supply invariably exceeds demand while our limited capacity to add value to what we grow means that much of the produce goes to waste,
It is a measure of how ill-planned our agricultural sector has been over the years. The vast majority of what we grow is either exported in its raw state or else, very little value is added. Of what is left some is eaten and much of it thrown away. Agro-processing is still, in large measure, a fledgling industry and it is
