KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) says it will be launching a national education campaign aimed at explaining in detail how the price of a box of coffee is derived.

According to JCRA in a media release on Thursday, this follows concerns raised by coffee farmers regarding the price paid for a box of coffee.

Director General of JACRA, Wayne Hunter said: “We understand the frustration that many of our farmers feel when they examine the price paid per box of coffee. However, it is important to emphasise that neither JACRA nor any minister of Government can determine the price of a box of coffee. The market determines the price based on global benchmarks, quality standards, and the realities of supply and demand.”

Hunter added that strengthening farmers’ understanding of the value chain is critical to improving outcomes.

“What we must do collectively is ensure that our farmers fully understand how pricing is derived — from international market movement right down to the costs of processing and export. Knowledge is power as we educate while we regulate. When our farmers understand the pricing structure, they are better positioned to make informed decisions about production, quality improvement, and farm management,” he argued.

The campaign will cover how international benchmark prices influence Jamaican coffee, the difference between farmgate prices and export prices, cost structures along the value chain, how farmers can maximise returns through improved agronomical and post-harvest practices to ensure premium quality and strategies to improve productivity and overall profitability.

Reaffirming the authority’s commitment to the sector, Hunter stated: “JACRA stands ready to provide any information our farmers require. We will continue to educate, inform, and support them in building production and strengthening the long-term sustainability of Jamaica’s coffee industry. Our goal is a transparent, competitive, and resilient sector that benefits farmers at every level.”

JACRA added that neither the authority, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, nor the Government of Jamaica sets the price for a box of coffee.

It said coffee prices are market-driven and influenced by a complex combination of local and international factors.

Among the primary determinants are global coffee market prices, particularly movements on international commodity exchanges, supply and demand dynamics, both locally and internationally, quality differentials, including bean size, defect count, moisture content, and cup profile, processing and export costs, including pulping, drying, hulling, grading, storage, and transportation, exchange rate fluctuations, which affect export earnings and conversion to local currency and input costs, such as labour, fertilizers, pest management, and farm maintenance.