IF WE are to go by the many promises of new investments to come on stream this year it would seem that the economy is poised for significant growth at last. Much of the investment in recent times has been in the tourism sector and there is more in advanced stages of planning.
This welcomed development provides great opportunities for other areas of the economy, chief among which is the agricultural sector. The provision of food for our visitors has traditionally been a challenge which, unfortunately, has mostly been met by imports. More recently, some critical linkages have been forged between both sectors as one of the larger hotel chains enters into contracts with farmers for vegetables. But that is only beginning to scratch the surface of what is potentially a major opportunity for agricultural production.
When people vacation they want to experience the cuisine of the country. Already Jamaican food has gained worldwide recognition with Jamaican 'jerk' being listed among the top 50 'must-eat' foods. The near two million tourists who visit us annually return to their countries with the memory of the taste of our food ... and they want it again. We should make sure that they can have it wherever they are. We have been unable to exploit this enormous potential market simply because we have failed to make the investment in this very important area of the economy.
The same can be said for our traditional export crops. In coffee we have a product that is accepted as the best in the world and fetches the highest price by far, yet we struggle to produce a fraction of the demand. Similarly, our ackee, cocoa, pimento, pepper, ginger and a number of other spices and condiments are craved for worldwide but we produce only sample amounts. We managed to miss the boat with sugar and bananas when the market was guaranteed and the price was excellent.
Sea Island cotton lint commands a price of US$10 per pound while the next best goes for only US$1.50. This unique variety can only be produced in the Caribbean so there is no competition. The Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation has demonstrated the feasibility of producing it locally, yet no one has so far come forward to invest in this potentially lucrative enterprise.
Technology-driven agriculture provides the surest means of transforming rural communities into viable economic entities. We believe that agriculture, which has served us well in the past by being the mainstay of the economy, has been neglected for too long. We believe that it is time our leaders begin to place emphasis on agricultural development and for our entrepreneurs to exploit the great potential for wealth creation that exists.
This will happen only where there is leadership and direction, and as such the next Prime Minister should commit to placing the sector high on the agenda. We, on our part, will be giving more attention to it and today we launch our year-long special coverage of the agricultural sector.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
