Players in the agriculture sector are hoping to benefit from the 63rd staging of the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, which will be held from July 31 to August 2 at the Denbigh Showground in Four Paths, Clarendon.

The show, which will be staged under the theme “Grow What We Eat… Eat What We Grow: Making Agriculture Sustainable”, was launched last Thursday on the grounds of Hi-Pro Ace Supercentre in White Marl, St Catherine.

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) Senator Norman Grant announced that proceeds from the show will help to fund development of the Denbigh property. The annual three-day agricultural show is hailed as the English-speaking Caribbean’s premier agricultural event and welcomes more than 80,000 patrons to its grand exhibition each year.

“This year the show is being celebrated as one of the events earmarked for the JAS 120th anniversary, thus we are aiming for 120,000 patrons to attend the show over the three days, ” he said, adding : “We are projecting that this year we should generate revenues in the region of $75 million, with an estimated cost of $65 million to stage the show. The surplus or the profits from this year’s event will again be reinvested into the development [of] a Denbigh City on the 52 acres of land.”

Senator Grant further stated that negotiations between the JAS board and Finsac had resulted in a liquidation of $85 million in loans, particularly through proceeds from the Denbigh Agricultural Show, and therefore the JAS now has the title for the Denbigh property and that of another property in Westmoreland.

According to Grant, the theme of the 2015 Denbigh Show was aligned to the vision that “agriculture is the bedrock of our economic development, and it in fact has the potential to continue to grow and support the Jamaican economy”. He was reinforcing a comment made earlier by Christopher Levy, CEO and president of the Jamaica Broilers Group (JBG), the title sponsor.

Levy said that “our real underlying culture, our underlying philosophy is about working with farmers so that they can grow and they can be profitable and they can be around for the long haul.” He further remarked, “It’s a symbiotic relationship where we’re able to leverage the size of Jamaica Broilers and the reach of our company and our experience to the small farmer… because agriculture is the backbone of our small country.”

Sponsorship for the 2015 Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show will amount to approximately $25 million, and will be provided by the JBG, the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, Digicel, Fidelity Motors, Delta Supply Company Limited, HEART Trust/NTA, Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, among others. Additional funding will be raised from ticket sales at a price of $800 per adult and $300 per child.

Unlike previous years, vendors will have to register and will be allowed to rent display booths and some 50 food shops at the new Roger Clarke Food Court — named in honour of the late minister of agriculture.

In addition to showcasing horticulture, organic farming, the emerging nutraceutical industry and the Denbigh Symposium Trade Show, organisers will be partnering with the Registrar of Companies to host a business clinic for those who wish to become entrepreneurs or whoare seeking funding for their businesses.

Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries Derrick Kellier said, “I will never tire of hearing the theme, ‘Grow What We Eat…Eat What We Grow’. This is a call to action for all Jamaicans… for sustainability within the sector and striving towards reducing our large import bill. Already we have begun to reap rewards with reduction of our food import bill by US$43.6 million or J$5 billion for 2014.”

Minister Kellier also noted, “We want a downward trend (of our import bill)… we want the production and consumption of our local produce to rise and rise. Our vision must be to see the day when Jamaica is no longer a net importer, but a net exporter of food.

“We want to make agriculture a truly sustainable and viable contributor to the Jamaican economy, and so we continue to urge our consumers to support our farmers by purchasing local produce as we seek to bridge the gap between our imports and exports,” he added.