Agriculture Ministry partners with Newport-Fersan to provide fertiliser to coffee farmers

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, through the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), has partnered with Newport-Fersan to supply 321 metric tonnes of Coffee-Lizer fertiliser to coffee farmers as part of its Productivity Incentive Programme.

Distribution of this newly formulated fertilizer is part of an $80-m grant provided by the Ministry to coffee farmers to include $13m for treatment of the coffee leaf rust disease, training and provision of small tools as the Government seeks to assist farmers to increase their productivity.

Speaking at the official handover of the fertilizers by Newport-Fersan on July 13 in Kingston, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, said this fertilizer distribution programme is in keeping with the Government’s thrust to rebuild the coffee industry.

The minister expressed disappointment with the decline in the production of coffee over the past 20 years, moving from 500,000 boxes of Blue Mountain to over 200,000 in 2017 and high mountain coffee from some 400,000 boxes to a little over 20,000 boxes in 2017.

Minister Shaw praised Newport-Fersan for its ingenuity in coming up with a fertilizer that is custom-designed for coffee and emphasised that the revival of the industry requires all hands on deck.

Managing Director, Newport-Fersan, Dennis Valdez, said his company is presenting a product that is unique to Jamaica, “just as the flavour profile of our coffee is unique to the world”.

“We have seen where Coffee-Lizer, if used as prescribed, will give you the yields whilst not breaking the bank,” he said.

The Coffee-Lizer product is designed for application to coffee plants for the prevention and correction of soil nutrient deficiency when used as part of a balanced fertility programme.

Newport-Fersan developed the product based on the topography of the land, phonological stages of the coffee trees and the nutrients needed for the optimal growth and production of a coffee tree.
-30-