Hugh Martin THE YEAR 2003 has passed - to the relief of many I do believe. It was simply not the best of times. The sugar industry for instance would like to forget the dismal performance that ended with the lowest production in over 60 years. It will be looking with much anticipation and optimism to this year's crop which cannot possibly do worse.
But even within this beleaguered industry it was not the worst of times for some of the players. Those farmers and estates that managed to achieve high yields through good management and the use of proper cultural practices would have made worthwhile profits as a result of the excellent price paid for their sugar. This was a consequence of the upward movement in the value of the Euro against the US dollar. The others must be kicking themselves for missing out on that windfall.
It wasn't a good year either for the other major export crops (often referred to as the traditional crops) bananas, cocoa, citrus. The exception here, I guess, was coffee which has absolutely no right to do badly at any time. This is to my mind the crop with the greatest potential for foreign exchange earning. Leading the rest of the world in quality, from the exquisite Blue Mountain brand to the lowland, our coffee has commanded the highest prices in the markets the world over. Yet we have failed to do more than touch the surface in the volumes we produce and in the value we have added. The restructured Coffee Industry Board is doing a good job in positioning the industry in the markets but we are still woefully behind in our supplies.
DECLINE
The cocoa industry continued to decline last year despite Government's attempts to revive it. Seems the farmers are just not interested, perhaps finding the effort too much for the low returns they receive at the end of the day. But cocoa has really never been treated as a main crop. It has survived largely as an under crop to bananas, coconuts and coffee and very rarely can one find a pure-stand of cocoa. And please don't anybody try to convince me that it can only flourish under shade. Cocoa production is declining because there are too few trees per acre, they are not being cared for and the pods that survive are not being reaped as the harvesting cost exceeds the returns.
REPLANTING PROGRAMME
In spite of a citrus replanting programme that has been in operation for nearly three years now the citrus population is declining rapidly as trees die from the Tristeza Virus. Growers continue to resist taking up the loan funds under the programme preferring to replace trees one by one as they succumb to the disease. The cited reasons for their refusal of the loans are too high interest rates, and the stringent terms of the loan arrangements. The largely unspoken reason is a reluctance to commit to an industry with an uncertain future. This uncertainty resides in the possibility of strong competition from the Dominican Republic when it becomes a member of CARICOM. Interestingly though is the fact that the largest citrus company in the country is busy planting citrus on every available acre of land at their disposal. Maybe we shouldn't write off the citrus industry just yet.
The non-traditional export crops (how long does it take a non-traditional to become a traditional?) didn't do too badly and there is definitely scope for improvement here as the markets in the metropolitan capitals continue to grow through increased migration and expanding acceptance of Jamaican cuisine on the world scene. I don't have the numbers yet but the indications are that whatever growth there is in the sector will come mainly from this and the domestic crops sub-sector.
On the livestock scene the only bright spot was in the area of goat production and that should continue to shine this year. It was the worst of times for the dairy industry. This was best demonstrated by that very offensive TV commercial over the Christmas season showing Santa Claus putting away a glass of milk in disgust and reaching for sorrel which he shared with a child who was watching all the time. I am surprised the Jamaica Dairy Federation didn't lodge a complaint to the Fair Trading Commission.
TUNNEL
At the end of the year the beef industry must have caught a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel with the appearance of mad cow disease in the United States and the announcement that the Government had banned all beef imports from that country. The elation will be short-lived however as we are woefully incapable of stepping into the breach. Already the Ministry of Agriculture is seeking other overseas sources of supply. We are just not ready either in numbers or in the technology to produce the desired cuts of beef for the trade. Last year witnessed a further decline in beef animals and one breed, the Jamaica Black, was declared in danger of becoming extinct.
If I were to pick one winner for last year it would be the Jamaica Agricultural Society and next time I'll tell you why.
Hugh Martin is a communication specialist and farm broadcaster. E-mail: humar@cwjamaica.com
