The Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA) has deepened its relationship with the Association of Japanese Importers of Jamaican Coffee (AJIJC) in its bid to increase the production of Jamaica Blue Mountain and High Mountain coffee to 450,000 boxes (or 4.5 million pounds) over the next four to five crop years.

According to the JCEA, yield for crop year 2021/22 totalled 251,000 boxes, representing an increase of 5 per cent over the 240,000 boxes reported in the previous year, while earning US$17 million in the process.

“For the current crop year 22/23, we are projecting a total production of 265,000 boxes, which will result in continued growth in the production of 5 per cent year over year,” JCEA Chairman Norman Grant stated.

Together with the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro), and the Ministry of Tourism, the JCEA partnership with the AJIJC will be focusing on market and production expansion as Jamaica and Japan mark the 70th anniversary of the first shipment of the commodity.

Japan currently purchases 70 per cent of Jamaican coffee, with 20 per cent exported to the US and 10 per cent to Europe and other countries.

“As the creator of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Day in Japan, the AJIJC will, more than ever, continue its efforts to promote Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee,” chairman of AJIJC Tatsushi Ueshima noted.

Just last year, in October, the AJIJC welcomed a delegation from Jamaica to the Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition 2022, having collaborated over a three-year period remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event also served as an opportunity for the association to meet Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Pearnel Charles Jr.

Grant noted that working with the AJIJC should “help to increase revenues from Jamaica’s coffee industry from over weighted average of US$25 million per annum over the last 15 years to US$50 million per annum” with an incremental rate of 5 per cent per annum over the next 10 years.

“This will create an industry with annual sales of US$100 million and will significantly create/return the coffee industry to consistent profitability and contribute to the economic landscape of our 5,000 farmers, farm families and our coffee business,” the JCEA chairman continued.

At the local level, he said the JCEA is working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and JACRA to support coffee farmers and to “grow the value-added sector in Jamaica, taking the product from seed to cup, and making Jamaica the ‘premium coffee capital of the world’ in the same way that France is the champagne capital of the world”.

In this regard, he encouraged the farmers to put their capital at greater risk by investing in new technology to modernise and expand their farms.

At the same time, Grant called on Government to provide incentives for both coffee farmers and processors to push the country into higher levels of production.

“The industry is centred around an iconic Jamaican product and brand, with strong growth potential both locally and internationally,” Grant pointed out.