Plant Quarrantine- Facilitating Trade and Securing Jamaica S Agriculture

Plant Quarrantine- Facilitating Trade and Securing Jamaica’s Agriculture

SALUTATIONS

I am happy to be here this morning, sharing in this very innovative event which is aimed at sharing information, educating and sensitizing our stakeholders on very important matters in the agricultural sector. Specifically, this information fair is designed to provide details of the processes and procedures relating to the trade of agricultural produce into and out of Jamaica.

And what better place to do this than right here at one of the busiest gateways to the island? And specifically at the Agricultural Export Complex here at the Sangster International Airport.

In recent times, many of us have either been affected by or become very aware of the occurrence of new mosquito borne viruses, such as Chic-V and now, we are hearing of ZIK-V. The fact of the matter is that we live in such an interconnected world that the transmission of diseases and pests has become a matter of very grave importance and we are all required to be extremely vigilant and careful.

Globally, the spread of plant and animal diseases has been on the top of the agricultural agenda for several years. And, indeed foodborne diseases such as salmonella and E-Coli continue to pose serious threats not just to the health of consumers but to trading relationships and the economy of countries. In terms of fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit flies, mealy bugs and caterpillars are among the pests which pose a constant risk.

Let us bear in mind also that here in Jamaica our coffee, citrus, banana and coconuts have been affected over the years by various diseases and pests which have negatively impacted our potential for increased production.

Mechanisms and systems to mitigate food pests and diseases and to promote food safety are of paramount importance. As international travel and trade becomes much easier, the job of keeping Jamaica free of unwanted exotic pests has become more demanding.

In this context, the role of the Plant Quarantine and Produce Inspection Branch of the Ministry is of particular importance.

The Plant Quarantine/Produce Inspection Branch is the entity responsible for protecting Jamaica’s agriculture, environment and tourism industries from trans-border movement of pests and diseases.

I am therefore very pleased that the Branch has opted to host this Plant Quarantine Week of activities to place even greater focus on trade facilitation. I know that the team has been very busy this week, with various functions and field days from St Thomas, Kingston, Manchester and here in St James. And I wish to commend them for the effort to get the word out that food safety and food security are really everybody’s business.

So, when we are tempted to bring in the grapes of the apples or some exotic plant from overseas we should remember that we should not pack a pest, because this could have really deleterious effects.

I am told that the Jamaican Plant Quarantine /Plant Inspection Branch is unique in that it operates two export complexes, one in Kingston and this one here in Montego Bay, with these facilities being essentially “One Stop Shops” providing a suite of services to the stakeholders for export and import of agricultural produce.

I would also like to use this opportunity to commend the private sector export company Jam Island Processing Company in Manchester for partnering with us in establishing an offsite fumigation facility which will aid us in our efforts to ensure that only the highest quality pest free produce is exported from Jamaica.

The facility is over 12,000 sq. feet and can accommodate up to three 40-foot containers. The construction of this offsite fumigation facility, which was approved by US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) and the Plant Quarantine/Produce Inspection Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will now add to and enhance the monitoring services provided at the agricultural export complexes at the Norman Manley and Sangster International Airports.

In addition to inspecting and certifying produce the Plant Quarantine Branch also supports exporters of agricultural produce by providing information, preparing Market Access Reports and Pest Risk Analyses.

Export Thrust

During 2014 the Branch inspected and certified over US$62 million worth of agricultural produce for export.

Ladies and gentlemen, while I commend the Branch for the hard work they must have done to inspect that volume of produce, I believe that we need, as a country we do need to see exponential growth in that figure. The potential for expansion of our exports is vast and we must urgently capitalise on the prevailing opportunities.

Our markets in the Cayman Islands, other Caribbean countries, Canada and the United States as well as the United Kingdom and other European markets are currently under-served, not just with our traditional but also our non-traditional produce.

As you may know for example, the United States Division of Agriculture provides pre-clearance for some 52 agricultural items into the United States market. These include fruits and crops from guinep through to cut flowers. Yet we are currently only supplying less than a quarter of the designated list of items.

But where there is a gap, there is room for growth. The time is ripe for investment in export agriculture and I am therefore appealing to our small and large farmers; our investors; our families and young people who are in search of income-generating opportunities to look to agriculture now!

For our part, Government is creating the enabling circumstances for the promotion of increased production for both the domestic and, perhaps more so, the export market.

We recognise that although there is significant potential in the non-traditional export trade, there is a need for a more structured approach in consistently producing and marketing these commodities.

Agro-Parks

It is against this background that Government has embarked on the agro-park programme, aimed at rolling out some 20,000 acres of production over the next five years. Our aim is to utilise these parks to ensure that the scale of production is optimised, in order to be competitive and consistent.

We have already established nine of these parks and are now in the process of establishing another five, four of which are planned for right here in Western Jamaica at Hounslow/ Spring Ground - St. Elizabeth; Seven Rivers and Sunderland in St. James and Shettlewood in Hanover.

Along with the new acreages being brought into production, we are also pursuing a programme of Global GAP certification in the agro-parks to ensure that the produce is export-ready and we will superimpose on that strong marketing and extension support.

To facilitate exports and secure Jamaica’s agriculture, Government, with the support of IICA, is also currently building our export platform. To this end, we have been training our farmers/exporters, exposing them to international business practices, and taking them directly into the market where we create linkages with buyers and distributors.

We have been in dialogue with importers in Florida and Atlanta and we have made significant progress in the British market, through our collaboration with the London Fresh Produce Consortium.

We are creating the systems to make Jamaica not only export ready but export capable. What is required is greater productivity, increased production and more investment in the sector. And so, today, I reiterate my appeal, to prospective investors to think agriculture.

Investment opportunities exist in the production of ginger, Irish potato, onion, pineapple, yam, turmeric, sweet potato, melon, breadfruit, guava, ackee, nutmeg, soursop, cocoa, coconut and pimento and I believe the list could go on.
With the establishment of abattoirs through Public Private Sector Partnerships and the clustering of farmers, opportunities are also emerging for investing in livestock products including cattle (beef), small ruminants (goat, sheep), pigs and fish. And as a reminder, incentives such as duty-free importation of certain agricultural-related equipment and machinery are offered to all investors.

So, today is a day to learn more about these opportunities and also about the requirements for trading in agricultural produce.

Have an enjoyable and informative day!