Jamaican mangoes, sweet potatoes headed for US market

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

THE governments of Jamaica and the United States, despite their testy relationship in other areas, are working closely in the area of agricultural exports.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Donovan Stanberry yesterday said his ministry was working with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to facilitate the importation of produce such as mangoes and sweet potatoes from Jamaica into the US market by meeting the required sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards.

Stanberry also urged local producers to focus on Jamaican diaspora in order to develop markets for Jamaican food products.

"We have, perhaps, as many people living between Miami, New York and London and Toronto as are living in Jamaica so it is very important that we get our agricultural products into these markets, and they are subject to the same analysis," he said.

The permanent secretary was delivering the main address in place of Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton at last Tuesday's opening of a three-day workshop on good practices for participation in SPS forum at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

The workshop was organised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) in partnership with the USDA and the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Stanberry, however, warned that with the agricultural sector experiencing six consecutive quarters of growth, there would be a glut of these products on the local market, if export markets were not found for them.

"If we do find markets outside of Jamaica then we are going to start having problems. It's a problem when we don't produce enough, and it's a bigger problem when we produce too much without markets", he said.

In this regard Stanberry said Jamaican producers should seek to export more, not only to the Jamaica diaspora, but also to Caricom.

Dr Ricardo Molins, AHFS director of IICA, Costa Rica said the SPS measures should be viewed not as obstacles, but as a opportunity for export. He said the standards were necessary to protect Jamaica's flora and fauna and the health of the people.

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COMMENTS (20)

4/22/2010

What a brilliant idea to bring agricultural products to america,people would be thrilled ,jamaicans and all, there is something special about the fruits and other produce items such as sweet potatoes and yellow yam. I am wondering about the bananas too. I hope this endeavor will materialize,such market would be a boom. A good thing for jamaica.

Evan Archer
4/22/2010

Agreeing with you Richie L. Value-added, is the way to go !!. Check with Ja. Producers, they seem to have some new ideas.

Susan H.
4/21/2010

Wow, I am happy! Most of the mangoes I get is from Chile and those places and they can't compare to those back home.

iraq combat vet
4/21/2010

tina chambers, you are so NEGATIVE about JAMAICA, why is that? PLEASE IF YOU HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT JAMAICA, THEN DONT SAY ANYTHING, I REALLY CAN"T BELIEVE YOU ARE A JAMAICAN, DID AMERICA GET TO YOU EGO INFLATED IDIOT HEAD?THEN AGAIN AMERICA IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM, YOUR PROBLEM II SEEM, IS THAT YOU FORGOT, WHERE YOU COME FROM

Richie L
4/21/2010

p hickey, you didn't read my post thoroughly. I am not saying we should target the mango juice and puree to the Jamaican population in the US; I am saying that there are several industries in the US that use these products and we should be looking to supply those companies with a higher valued product than just sending only raw mangoes.
.
As for the chicken parts, I am not talking about selling these chicken products in Jamaica. I am saying we should import the cheap American chicken and look to add value to it with the products I mentioned and then ship them back to the US.
.
We should stop bellyaching about the US chicken and look to create new industries out of it all the while employing more Jamaicans. Isn't that the bigger point?
.
Richie

Wharf Dawg
4/21/2010

Ever since Jamaica started to use sludge fertilizer I have stopped eating agricultural produce from Jamaica.

p hickey
4/21/2010

Richie L, drinking the juice is not the same as eating the fresh fruit. The supermarkets are already full of chicken parts. Have you seen our kids how fast they are developing from all these chicken thats injected with harmones?. We have waaaaaay to much chicken already. The more fruits and vegetables the better.

p hickey
4/21/2010

Thank you Jesus! Now I can stop hiding mangoes in my shoes when going through customs. Trying to find decent mangoes here in Washington DC is like playing the lottery. Out of a box of nine Hatian mangoes you are lucky to find five that are edible......why do they put only nine in the box anyway. I can eat a whole dozen in one sitting. Cant wait!!!!!!

Richie L
4/21/2010

How about adding some value to these "raw" material and get even more money and at the same time increase employment in Jamaica? Instead of sending mango, how about sending mango juice and puree?
.
How about importing cheap chicken parts from the US, and then adding value to them, making them into chicken bacon, chicken hot dogs and chicken patties and nuggets and then shipping them back to the US?
.
Richie

Antonette W.
4/21/2010

I can't wait to get some of those products. Will my favorite, the Tahiti apples be among the exports? My only concern is whether the products will be reasonably priced. The Jamaican products tend to be very expensive in the states, when compared with the products that are exported from Chile and Mexico. Can Jamaica top that?

Claude Ingram
4/21/2010

I have lived in England for the past 50 odd years. I read about people saying they want to go back to Jamaica to invest. May I suggest that they use some of that money and buy a stall in the town they live in, i.e. Canada, USA and UK. Then import the produce from Jamaica; fresh produce, tin produce, clothes and the like and sell it on the streets and markets where they live. This would go some ways to help the hard working producers in Jamaica and bring in a little forign currency. Unfortunately, I am too old now, I just want to go sit on my veranda drinking rum and thawing out in the wonderful sunshine until either God, rum or gunman tek me.
One love

Olga Kaye
4/21/2010

I was so ecstatic in my library, my customers were so anxious to hear if I won the lotto. Eventually, I told them this is even better, mangoes from Jamaica will be hitting the US market. I had spoken to Hon.. Ed Bartlett, Min. of Tourism last year in trying to get green bananas to the US. I know the bananas are shipped to The European market.We need other freshly grown food in the US.

Nancy G
4/21/2010

I know a lot of people in the US who would buy all the frozen callaloo Ja could send!

Tricia Grindley
4/21/2010

This has the potential to reap tremendous (financial) benefits for Jamaica. Once the supply/demand issue is sorted out, I really hope this initiative gets off the ground because we have such a rich crop of produce to offer the world. Jamaicans living abroad are a key target, yes, but Americans also aggressively hunt down ethnic ingredients to bring exotic flavors into the comfort of their homes- it should not be hard for them to access them. Fingers crossed!

tina chambers
4/21/2010

@Paul Lewis... yes i know a man Thomas ..he had about 6 aces of John Bellyfull mangoes whic he exported to USA ...AND HE USED TO EARN MILLIONS OF US$..HE IS NOW DEAD.....he was murdered last year......

mark jones
4/21/2010

Great news a ray of hope in the midst of all the madness going on..............Kudos to the leadership of the young minister Tufton.........These are the types of niche areas of growth we should be pursuing as a country

mike willy
4/21/2010

It surprises me that these guys always talking about producing more and production without the market.
The fact of the matter is that Jamaica products (agricultural) is equalivant to product from other countries, yet still the prices tends to be higher and consumers tends to purchase items of the best value for their money.
As an advise to the Jamaican producers, keep the prices in line or below other countries and you will get your fair market share.

Paul Lewis
4/21/2010

Am I to believe throughout the years none of the previous Gov'ts. made an attempt to enter this market ?. I am sure I have seen Mangoes and Sweet potatoes which were labeled as being from Jamaica. If we are only now trying to do that....well its about time.

Kweli Simba
4/21/2010

With six consecutive quarters of growth, it is good that an opening exist for the farmers who will be able to get a decent price for their products. This should encourage the farmers to continue to plant products that are acceptable for export. Continue the good practices....Go Chris Tufton

mark jones
4/21/2010

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Jamaican mangoes, sweet potatoes headed for US market