CLARENDON, Jamaica — State Minister in the Ministry of Tourism, Senator Delano Seiveright, is urging small farmers to position themselves to take advantage of the boom in the sector that is now underway.

Addressing a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) public meeting in Clarendon North Western on Saturday, Seiveright said the major tourism expansion now unfolding across Jamaica will be a game changer for small farmers, if they are prepared to seize the opportunity.

According to Seiveright, the tourism sector is entering an era of unprecedented growth, with thousands of new hotel rooms and hundreds of thousands of new visitors set to arrive on the island’s shores in the coming years.

He outlined a series of major resort developments expected to break ground or come on stream shortly, including the nearly 900-room Viva Wyndham resort, north of Negril; the more than 1,200-room Moon Palace expansion in Rose Hall, St James; the more than 1,000-room Hard Rock Resort also in Rose Hall; the new AC Marriott Montego Bay; the Harmony Cove mega project in Trelawny; and a 700-room development in St Ann, among other hotel developments currently in advanced planning stages.

Seiveright further highlighted that the more than 500-room luxury Unico Resort along the Rose Hall corridor is nearing completion and is expected to open early next year, while the new Royalton Chic in St Ann remains on track for opening in 2026.

The minister also pointed to the recently opened 1,000-room Princess Resort, which is now fast-tracking the completion of its state-of-the-art casino, Jamaica’s first under the integrated resort development framework.

Seiveright noted that this hotel room boom is being complemented by the explosive growth of Airbnb and other short-term rental accommodations, with more apartments, town homes and villas being added to the market, driving even more demand for local produce, meats and other supplies.

He said Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has been unambiguous in his call for more Jamaicans to benefit directly from tourism, especially small farmers and local suppliers.

“Already, those who are organised and focused are raking in millions,” said Seiveright.

He told the meeting that the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tourism and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), has already registered more than 2,000 small farmers and facilitated more than $1.2 billion in direct sales to hotels.

“And that doesn’t include the big bucks being made by farmers and distributors outside of ALEX through private contracts,” added Seiveright in response to questions from Observer Online.

The minister said that with thousands of new rooms and hundreds of thousands of new visitors on the horizon, small farmers should prepare themselves for a surge in demand for fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other fresh produce.

“The demand will be insane. Some hotels are already facing supply chain pressures and are seriously considering setting up or investing in farming operations to ensure consistency and quality,” said Seiveright.