He is not a farmer, but Jermaine Henry believes that farmers and exporters should have access to capital that will help their businesses grow. For that reason, two years ago he and business partner, 25-year-old Romario Raffington created a trade finance application called FlowFacto , which allows for easier access to agricultural start-up loans.

Prior to that, Henry had spent a few years working with farmers, processors, middlemen, and exporters in agriculture, and he realised that there was a financial gap in the industry – people needed money to fulfil export orders. So he decided to fill the gap. Drawing on his experience in venture capital and finance, he developed the supplier relationship management app allowing small to medium-sized exporters to get access to capital and to introduce farmers’ products to new markets.

“I currently target exporters of agricultural produce who buy from farmers. My aim was to create a company which utilises technology to improve the lives of persons and I saw agriculture as an industry in which I could create this impact,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

He continued, “I have no background in farming, but I do have a curious mind which sees opportunities and solutions to problems. My curiosity piqued my interest in the industry.”

Henry, 28, is a past student of Munro College in St Elizabeth.

He said he is convinced that despite the existence of programmes to assist farmers with financing, there is a disconnect in the farmers’ ability to access said financing.

“There are a number of multilateral, public and private programmes for capacity building and financing for farmers. There is, however, still a major disconnect between farmers and access to these opportunities, Henry said .

Since he started his business, exporters have been receptive to its services.

“Local businesses have shown great interest thus far. We have been able to gain traction and build a pipeline of customers,” he confided.

But business has not always been a bed of roses.

“We had some early incidents of loss of capital which taught us how to better analyse risk and choose customers,” he said.

he added that as the business continues to grow, the goal is to change public perception of agriculture to understand that farming is a significant business.

“Several farms might be small-scale and independent, but the app is trying to change that by empowering smart, dedicated, small- and medium-sized farmers with the capital they need to grow,” he told Career & Education.

Henry is one of 12 young people selected as Nutramix Youth in Agriculture ambassadors for 2019.

“Being selected as a Nutramix Youth in Agriculture ambassador signifies that the industry is now open to innovation and new solutions,” Henry said.