Farmers calling for greater investment in agriculture

Zadie Neufville, Gleaner Writer

Farm interests are calling for significant investments to jump-start stagnant subsectors, improved protection from cheap agricultural imports and stronger penalties for crop and animal theft. They are also calling for significant investments in agricultural research to control diseases that could wipe out the success of some industries.

Among the solutions proposed are a system that tracks production and pre-empts gluts, tough praedial larceny legislation that serves as a deterrent to thieves, more timely disbursal of farm loans and proactive research that is sector driven.

While industry players praise the work Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has done so far, there is consensus that more needs to be done to protect local farmers from unfair competition.

Effective policies

"The dream of a world without borders is non-existent," Trade Winds' Peter McConnell said. While he does not support the protection of inefficient producers, he noted that local farmers need effective policies if the country is expected to feed itself.

"We must select the crops that we can grow successfully, value-add them and concentrate on feeding ourselves," McConnell said.

He noted that while "high costs of input, such as electricity and security costs and our economies of scale", prevent Jamaica from competing on the international market, local farmers should concentrate on feeding the nation, the region and Caribbean expatriates in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Fish farmer Donnie Bunting bemoaned that prices have plummeted well below production costs. He explained that the local market has been unable to absorb the export surplus as well as the imported tilapia.

Ineffective legislation

This, he said, is the result of ineffective legislation, expensive electricity and the debilitating cost of security resulting from high levels of theft. The entire industry - from backyard farming to large-scale commercial farming - is being impacted, he said.

In recent years, the dairy and beef industries have declined rapidly, putting thousands out of work. Banana exports have ceased and sugar markets are no longer guaranteed. The citrus industry, on the rebound after a bout with the tristeza virus, is now being devastated by the citrus greening disease, which pundits say could wipe out successes of recent years.

Now it's the inland fishing industry that has been hit hard by the loss of its export markets and the importation of cheap tilapia from China.

Bunting's Longville Farms, a dairy-turned-fish farm, is churning out only 10 per cent of normal production since the collapse of the export market three years ago, and the more recent introduction of tilapia from China.

Longville is one of the island's largest fish farms. These days, however, the small retail outlet at the farm is the main source of income, Bunting said.

Despite the doom facing some sectors, reports are that others are booming. Farmers such as Bunting are already moving into those growth areas. He is already into sheep farming and has already acquired partners for a processing operation. Bunting plans to produce high-end meat cuts for the hotel sector.

Down the road at Cherry Gardens, a diversified farming operation run by Karl Jumi, he and his brothers have already begun to produce high-quality pork products for the local market. He has only just managed to hold on to his dairy and beef herds, he said.

In Bog Walk, Tru-Juice, Freshh and the other brands owned by Trade Winds are doing well only because they are able to process all the oranges produced on the 2,700 acres of farmland. They, too, have seen their profits undercut by theft.

Over at Tulloch Estates, Roger Turner has seen the death of his dairy operation, but the former Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) chairman is soldiering on. The 170 acres of bananas he once cultivated for the export market are now sold on the local market. Some coconut and sugar remain and he is exploring other crops for the local market.

Funding needed

President of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA), Omar Azan, said things seem to be "turning around" in the agricultural industry. He, however, called for the Government to "put some funding in the industry to kick-start those sectors which have been hard hit by the loss of export markets and agricultural imports.

Azan noted that the future of local agriculture was tied to the manufacturing sector in the output of value-added products. He said Jamaica must concentrate on feeding itself and providing material for its manufacturing sector.

"We are fortunate to have water, land and people," he said, but noted the need for "finished products".

The JMA president called for the Government to "balance the mix" of agriculture, tourism and manufacturing by giving equal attention to the strengthening of these industries. Given the disadvantages of the weather and vulnerabilities of the agricultural and tourism sectors, Azan noted, a strong manufacturing sector would help to support reco-very efforts in the event the others are impacted.