As production for a number of traditional produce continues to trend downward, a number of stakeholders in the agricultural sector have expressed concern for the future of food security locally.

President of the JAS Lenworth Fulton, in outlining some of the key crops which included coffee, cocoa and sugar cane, said that output could be improved if better policies are implemented to combat current challenges.

“While we are not doing that badly with domestic crops such as roots and tubers, vegetables and cucurbits, we are in a very bad state with our traditional crops. In the 1960s this country produced 562,000 tons of sugar which in 2023 moved down to 35,000 tons. When we look at banana we were in the 1960s also producing 265,000 tons, which today is now down to 70,000 tons. These are just a few examples, as decline in a number of other areas across milk and meat production also becomes impacted,” he said during a Jamaica Observer Business Forum held last week.

Speaking on behalf of the Jamaica Cocoa Sector Development Alliance, Dennis Buddo, calling it a sad day for cocoa in Jamaica, said the production of this crop has since the mid-90s fallen from a high of 2,700 tons of dry cocoa to 63 tons up to last year.

“It’s hard to even strike a percentage decline for this one, which is one of our major original exportable crops in Jamaica. When it gets down to this level, it’s harder to get it back up but I’m hoping for something serious to happen soon from the powers that be as it can’t just be all talk and no action,” he said while bemoaning what he considers to be gross years of neglect for the sector.

For Donald Salmon, president of the Jamaica Coffee Growers Association (JCGA), who was also a guest at the virtual forum, he said that for coffee, the crop has been in decline since the turn of the century with the Blue Mountain Coffee moving from 500,000 boxes to less than 300,000 presently and the High Mountain coffee from 200,000 to less than 12,000 boxes per year.

First vice-president of the JAS Denton Alvaranga, further highlighting a significant drop in output from the important food group of legumes and cereals, said that currently some 80 per cent of the red peas we eat locally have to be imported at cost ranging from approximately US$8 million annually. Similarly high imports for corn, which is a major ingredient in animal feed, he said must be addressed.

Pointing to new opportunities in other crops such as yams, dasheen, pineapple, onion, cassava, hot peppers, and ginger, he urged more farmers to take advantage of the increased demands in these areas.

The stakeholders agreed that despite current efforts to ramp up production in a number of the areas highlighted, modern-day challenges including praedial larceny, climate change and pests further weighs on not only the success of increasing output but also having a sustainable supply needed to keep the nation properly fed for the future.

The JAS president, while lauding recent initiatives such as backyard and school gardening programmes being piloted by the ministry as important, said that while these will help to keep things growing at the domestic, household and community levels, it won’t do much in moving the needle commercially or with ensuring national food security.

He said that with the sector at its lowest still being able to contribute about 8 per cent to gross domestic product (GDP), much more can be achieved if greater focus is given to strategies that will increase output and making more funding mechanisms available to farmers.

“The remedy lies in government making loans available to our farmers in the same way they make loans available to tourism and business process outsourcing (BPO). What we need is for our leaders to look on a set of policies geared towards a rebuilding of the agricultural sector. An important part of this concerns the number of import licence being granted,” he said while noting a growing number of products including coffee and coconut water as some key crops being produced locally which is currently imported in volumes.

The availability of planting materials and equipping the sector to attract more people, especially from the younger age cohorts, the players believe will also go a far way in stemming a number of the long standing issues which for decades have continued to negatively impact the industry.

“We need to have more policies which seeks to remove the uncertainty from farming, to those that will attract more investment, utilise greater technology while addressing food security concerns,” Salmon said.