Jamaica has adequate supply of wheat, says Industry Minister
Published:Tuesday | May 17, 2022 | 2:33 PM
Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Aubyn Hill, says Jamaica has an adequate supply of wheat following news that India, the world's second-largest producer, has banned exports.
At the same time, Hill said that the Government has opened discussions with the southern Asian country, should a need arise for the widely used grain.
“Right now we have all the wheat we need; all the flour we need. We're good. I checked. We have fertiliser,” Hill said in a Gleaner interview on Monday.
India on Saturday announced a ban on wheat sales to manage the country's overall food security.
That export ban, coupled with Ukraine's inability to produce and export grains, fertilisers and vegetable oil, amid the ongoing war with Russia, has put further pressure on the global food supply chain and threatened food security.
Together, Ukraine and Russia supply more than a quarter of the world's wheat.
“The war between Russia and Ukraine has changed a lot so we have to begin to explore. So, all I'm doing as the minister of industry, investment and commerce is to open the exploratory doors not because we need it but because we never know when we will need it.
“Therefore, India is a good partner to look at and we're opening those discussions,” Hill said.
Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.