KINGSTON, Jamaica- Chairman of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association, Norman W Grant, says members and exporters of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA) are facing the threat of reduced coffee exports to China and potential losses resulting therefrom.

His comments came after the General Administration of Chinese Customs (GACC) implemented new registration requirements for exporters who wish to export goods to China. Based on regulations, the Jamaica Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority (JACRA) is the agency that approves and ships green coffee on behalf of the exporters.

Due to unresolved issues with JACRA’s registration for GACC, coffee exporters now have coffee piling up and are unable to ship to their clients in China.

“This will have a negative impact on the trade relationship with China, considered by the exporters as the key growth market for Jamaican coffee exports. This will ultimately impact the coffee farmers, as the loss of a significant base of clients will lead to reduced demand, and ultimately a lower price for Jamaican coffee,” a statement from JCEA said on Saturday.

In addition, JCEA said its members will be seeking compensation from the Government for the losses they may incur due to delay in resolving the issues with JACRA’s GACC registration.

The JCEA urged all relevant parties, including JACRA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to “urgently resolve the GACC registration as soon as possible to avoid any further negative impact on the Jamaican coffee industry”.