Agri Ministry collaborates with Tru-Juice to process excess produce

As it continues its assistance programme to redistribute excess produce from farmers as the country faces the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries has collaborated with Trade Winds Limited, manufacturers of the Tru-Juice brand of juices, to process excess fruit and vegetables.
The Ministry, through RADA, last week  put systems in place to support the movement of the produce from farmers in St Elizabeth to the factory in Bog Walk, St. Catherine,  where processing began Monday, April 6 with an initial 5,000 lbs of tomatoes.
On a tour of the factory to observe the process, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry, Hon J.C. Hutchinson, explained that in a collaborative effort with the Ministry, Trade Winds initiated the development and manufacturing of a tomato-pineapple juice, utilising fresh local fruits.
Minister Hutchinson affirmed that the new juice offering had passed the taste test and that the Ministry was exploring the possibility of having it incorporated into the national school-feeding programme.
Minster of State, the Hon Floyd Green, welcomed the initiative as another opportunity in Jamaica’s plans to expand its agro-industry sector and thanked Trade Winds for partnering with the Government in a public-private sector effort to utilise more fresh local produce, while supporting the island’s farmers. 
In his remarks, Managing Director of Trade Winds, Peter McConnell, said his company’s main focus, at this time, was to assist in offering some relief to farmers by processing their excess fruits and vegetables into purees, which would then be made into juices.
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