-while local Min. of Agriculture ‘more markets’ promise seemingly stalled
By far the most successful country in the Caribbean in terms of making inroads into the extra-regional markets for local products, notably in the agro-processing sector, Jamaica’s small- and medium-sized enterprises are once again being advised to raise their game even higher in terms taking advantage of the market opportunities ‘on offer’ in the more potentially lucrative international markets.
Simultaneously, the country’s small- and medium-sized enterprises, some of which have already defied the odds in attracting extra-regional consumer attention are also being challenged to address Jamaica’s scarcity of in-demand local products by probing more deeply such additional markets as may be on offer for local products that have already had a taste of the external market.
The call has reportedly come from Ricardo Durant, the Exports Expert for the Jamaica Promotions Corpora-tion (JAMPRO) which has won both regional and international attention for its success in putting Jamaica ‘on the map’ by securing markets for local products on some of the world’s most prestigious markets.
Seemingly not prepared to have JAMPRO rest on its laurels Durant is reported as highlighting Jamaica’s still untapped potential for what he sees as further potential for growth in the export of value-added products. The JAMPRO marketing strategist is reported to have told a local business forum that there is further potential for growth in the export of Jamaican-manufactured value-added products, reportedly citing Castor Oil as a prime example of a Jamaican product that continues to surge in value on the external market. Durant reportedly told the gathering that Jamaica’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) can, through such pursuits, further enhance their competitiveness in the global market and tap into lucrative export opportunities. “If you have an acre or even a quarter acre of land idle somewhere down the country or in Kingston, just plant castor beans,” the JAMPRO official is quoted in The Observer newspaper (April 28) as saying. In his presentation Durant is reported to have referred to an ongoing ‘bidding war’ for Castor oil on the international market “with prices (for castor beans) ranging from US$400 to US$800 per pound.
While other countries in the region, notably Guyana, can match Jamaica in terms of cultivating agricultural produce, the rest of the region has been unable to match its marketing success realized largely through the diligence of the country’s state-owned JAMPRO.
Ironically, while agro-produce including breadfruit and mango are cultivated in commercial quantities in Guyana, Durant named the two as enjoying a strong demand on the extra-regional market.
Contextually, Durant reportedly encouraged SMEs to consider exporting agricultural products to Jamaican restaurants overseas, taking advantage of Jampro’s current Export Max programme designed to recruit Jamaican SMEs to export their goods.
Over the years Jamaica has ‘bossed’ the region in terms of the country’s exports of agro-produce to markets in Europe and North America. By contrast, repeated official undertakings to work to create more openings for agro- produce from Guyana on the international market have realised no significant traction.
Promises made more than a year ago by Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture to cause the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) to enhance external market access are yet to bear fruit.
