It’s a give and take situation. That’s how several exhibitors and farmers describe their profits, or lack thereof, coming in from the annual Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food s how which had its 65th staging in August.

The show — which is organised primarily by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) in collaboration with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries — is reportedly the largest agricultural event of its kind in Jamaica, the Caribbean, and the western hemisphere.

Staged on the 52-acre Denbigh show ground in Clarendon, the event aims to promote the agricultural sector by highlighting the work of local farmers, produce, and new technological advances through various exhibits and competitions.

But despite JAS President Norman Grant’s frequent statements that the show is one that contributes greatly to the sector as well as the nation’s economy, the event has had its fair share of criticism from people within as well as outside the agriculture sector.

The most recent concerns raised before the 65th staging had to do with public health safety, to include poor bathroom facilities and disposal sites, as well as vendors operating without proper food handler’s permits.

But while these concerns were addressed and the show went ahead, recurring concerns on the part of exhibitors and farmers were still there regarding lack of suitable accommodations, location, and most importantly for many, the cost to successfully profit from the three-day event.

With this year’s show being the second one she has attended so far, Lisa Allen of Desmond and Lisa’s Nursery in Runaway Bay, St Ann, said that if it weren’t for assisting in beautification efforts at the parish pavilion this year, she more than likely would have forgone the show.

She explained that while they didn’t have to rent space on the grounds, as that came courtesy of RADA, they still had to fill their gas tank at a cost of $10,000. She also had to buy flowers for the show, which was much higher.

She said last year was much better in terms of sales and foot traffic, despite the fact that there was bad weather.

“First year I was excited, but when I come and see it’s 65 years now we are doing this and you see the pavilion and the place, I don’t think it’s really worth it. I don’t see any improvement. When I was coming I was looking for a wow feeling, but you come and see the booths and you say really, they look run down,” Allen told the Jamaica Observer on the second day of the show.

She added that the grounds are in need of more trees to help with the heat, better roads are needed, and the show overall should be much better. Allen said that the locations of some of the pavilions, such as in the case of St Ann, are also not ideal as they are easily overlooked by visitors.

“I wouldn’t come (back) and rent a space, I think it’s too expensive to rent a space. Last year I heard it was $15,000 per day. I don’t know, if it raise it wouldn’t be worth it. If I stay home I can mek dat, but it’s the garden parish and we want our pavilion to look nice, so I say ‘ok, we have to represent’,” Allen said.

Coconut farmer and vendor Noel Bugher, whose stall was located near the area reserved for horticultural vendors, shared that the grounds were in dire need of care, as when it rain people tend to avoid that section of the property.

He said he was not blaming the rains, but rather how the place was treated, citing that the organisers needed to better “polish the grounds” and have an inspector constantly checking the conditions of the exhibitors to see if all is well.

For Bugher, the charge to truck his goods from St Thomas amounted to $35,000, with the rental of the space for his stall increasing the figure to $80,000, which he said he was still yet to make close to the end of the second day of the show.

That aside, Bugher had remained optimistic for the final day of the show and said that he would still support the event in the future.

“Me nah stop enuh because mi a farmer; ’cause mi can’t stop plant food, so mi always a go do it. Nuh matter the struggle, we still have to show up and me woulda encourage others to come too,” Bugher said.

A few metres away from Bugher, first-time exhibitor Lorna Brown could be seen showing a few customers the flowers she brought for sale. She explained that having attended the show before, she made the decision to try her hand as an exhibitor this year.

“I’m blessed,” Brown said. “I enjoy selling the plants and seeing persons buying. It has not been tremendous, but it’s going. The money, well it cost quite an arm and a leg, four legs and one arm… but we saved towards it.”

The plant vendor explained that she paid $45,000 for her space for the three days, as well as $15,000 to truck in her plants. She noted, however, that as she grows most of the plants she sells, there won’t be any pressure on her to satisfy outstanding bills as she bought only a few other plants.

At the time, one of Brown’s concerns was the rains that tend to plague the show yearly. She expressed a wish to see a decrease in the exhibitor fees, as when it rains there tends to be a drop in the number of patrons.

When the Observer spoke to Brown following the conclusion of the show, she said that overall, while it “wasn’t all out”, it wasn’t bad as she actually recouped the money she spent.

However, greenhouse farmer from Montego Bay Ainsley Lewis had a slightly different perspective from most of his counterparts.

“Sometimes it’s not even the sale factor but who you come out and meet because if you were home, you wouldn’t meet that person, so right now I am here and I meet a number of persons who will add value to me, not today, but down the road,” Lewis said.

This means that his business has been extended further than just making a “dollar value sale”, as the network has grown,” Lewis said, adding that at the end of the day, it is really about how one looks at their Denbigh expectations.

“If you come out here to make a dollar, you’re probably not gonna be happy, but if you are looking on a long-term basis where you are planning… creating wealth [you will be happy]. But for the person who comes here looking for that dollar, they will cry,” he said.

“Just like a man who plants pepper and reaps only 40 pounds, he’s looking for the highest price, but for a man who plants 10 acres, even if it comes down to $5 a poundhe doesn’t mind, because it’s value for him,” Lewis continued.

The first-time exhibitor, who only recently entered the farming industry, said the cost for his displays were covered by the RADA St James office, as he provided plants for the parish pavilion.

Thus Lewis, impressed by the traction his business generated over the three-day period, is already planning for next year.

“Next year, whatever it cost, even if I have to come on my own, I will be here because it’s worth it,” he said.