KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Scientific Research Council (SRC) of Jamaica, the principal public sector agency responsible for the fostering and coordination of scientific research and the promotion of its application, has signed a collaborative agreement with the International Trade Centre (ITC), Geneva, Switzerland.

According to the SRC in a press release, the primary goal of this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is to increase smallholder farmer and agro-processor productivity and incomes through better participation in formal markets to improve the value chain competitiveness of Jamaica’s coconut sector. This will be achieved by engaging an inclusive, sustainable agribusiness approach: ITC’s Alliances for Action programme, SRC said.

ITC is the joint technical cooperation agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, and the development partner for trade success. Under this agreement, the SRC and ITC will collaborate to build the capacity of the local coconut industry, partnering with the Coconut Industry Board (CIB) and key public and private sector stakeholders to maximize chances of success.

The SRC will take the lead on mapping and needs assessments of the coconut agro-processor enterprises and support institutions, training to at least 10 coconut smallholder farmers and agro-processors in the areas of value addition, food safety and quality, labelling and packaging, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and coconut value-added product development and testing in support of commercialisation.

This partnership, SRC said, will serve to strengthen its expertise in the areas of sustainable production, processing and trade practices. This will enable SRC to provide advisory support at the regional level in collaboration with ITC, the Coconut Industry Board (CIB), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Yucatan Center for Scientific Research (CICY) and other partners in best practices for value addition, food safety and quality, GMP and product development and testing.

 Dr Charah Watson, Executive Director of the SRC stated that “this joint initiative is well aligned with SRC’s mandate to support the growth and development of the agro-industrial sector in Jamaica through research, adaptation of available technologies, creation of new and appropriate technologies and the provision of training and technical assistance.

“We see partnerships such as this with the ITC as the way forward: The Council is keen on establishing and strengthening partnerships with private sector enterprises to facilitate business development, knowledge transfers and technical-skills sharing.  We value these partnerships as they are key to advancing our goal for national growth and development,” she said in the release.

 ITC’s Alliances for Action programme aims to contribute to achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, it hopes to generate sustainable incomes and livelihoods, especially for poor households, by connecting enterprises to regional and global markets. It also seeks to enable small business trade success in developing and transition countries by providing inclusive and sustainable trade development solutions to the private sector, trade and investment support institutions (TISIs) and policy-makers through strategic partnerships.