JAMPRO Encourages Investment In Vegetable Farming

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) is encouraging entrepreneurs to invest in vegetable cultivation for the hospitality sector.

Manager for JAMPRO’s Sales and Promotions Division, with responsibility for agribusiness, Marlene Porter, says there are numerous market opportunities for fresh vegetables, especially in the hotel sector.

“What we have seen is, with COVID-19 we [had] a dip taking place there. However, we don’t expect this dip to stay and, interestingly, when we look at the numbers, most of the investment interest that we are seeing coming into us surrounds crops – vegetables in particular,” she told JIS News.

Ms. Porter pointed out that there are specific crops in high demand that investors can focus on.

She indicated that they include cabbage, lettuce, and broccoli, noting that “[these are] things that the local tourism industry needs”.

“What we have found, too, is that a lot of the crops that we are talking about are also consumed by locals… and we have been importing a lot of them. So, these opportunities are seen by investors, and they are looking at them a great deal,” Ms. Porter informed.

She advised persons interested in cultivating vegetables to uitilise greenhouse technology.

“Most of the investors that are talking to us are looking to do it through greenhouses, because of the efficiency that you can get from the greenhouses and the sort of protection from the weather that they allow. We also have investors looking at organic produce as well. That’s an area of interest. We need to get our organic certification processes together so that we can take greater advantage of these [potential opportunities],” Ms. Porter said.

Source: JIS