A local castor oil producer says the industry needs assistance from the Government if it is to capture its fair share of the fast-growing and lucrative trade that is expected to grow to over US$2 billion in another seven years.

According to Julia Forbes, who has been in castor production for the past two years, some form of mechanisation is necessary to help castor oil producers increase production.

“We really need equipment. I just recently sent abroad to buy a grinding machine, and with what I’m hearing here now I may eventually buy or make a hydraulic press (machine), and I want a dryer because that is very critical,” Forbes told the Jamaica Observer during an oil processors’ workshop held by the Jamaica Castor Industry Association (JCIA) at the JAMPRO auditorium in New Kingston last week Tuesday.

The workshop, which was staged to sensitise castor oil processors about the industry, covered areas such as traditional and mechansied processing methodologies, properties and chemical composition of castor oil, and innovation with castor formulas.

Following the first set of presentations about mechanised processing methodology, Forbes explained that based on the information she was getting, having the right equipment is essential, especially considering the environment as well as processes that need to be followed.

She explained that the dryer she hoped to acquire would help to make her work much easier and more profitable as not only will it ensure more castor beans are collected but would speed up the harvesting process for green seeds and pods.

Forbes noted that the industry has always been successful, especially in recent times, which is why Government involvement was needed to help improve performance.

“This industry is ours… and I think that we need the Government’s help. Now we talking about equipment, but majority of people interested are poor people just trying something. They (Government) need to have a factory with all the equipment,” Forbes argued.

She proposed that castor oil producers could be charged a fee to use the factory until they were able to get into production on their own.

“If they are talking about the small investors and people who they are trying to help, get a big storeroom, get a few machines and let people come and use them,” she continued.

She lauded the JCIA for the workshop, saying that it was informative and would make navigating the industry much easier.

Omar Blair, who is just venturing into the industry, also expressed appreciation for the workshop, especially as a young person wanting to advance in castor farming.

“You have a lot of questions in your head and you wonder how things will work out, but it was very informative, especially in terms of increasing productivity, because I know about the traditional or ‘granny’ method, so to speak, and I’ve often heard that it can be a bit wasteful in terms of the amount of oil produced. So they really help to clear that up as well as touch on a number of other important areas,” Blair stated.

The JCIA also said that another workshop is expected to follow in October, that will focus on marketing and business aspects of the castor oil industry and will explore areas such as financing and common mistakes made by producers when venturing into the international market.