THE Agro-Investment Corporation (AIC) is seeking to unlock billions in investment for Jamaica’s agricultural sector through its Agri-Investor Deal Book, which has so far attracted strong interest among local and overseas investors, prompting plans to expand the range of opportunities to more than 50 per cent in its next edition.

A little over a year after the 72-page publication was launched at the AIC’s Agribusiness Investment Forum in September 2025, CEO Vivion Scully said the document has been helping to bring greater awareness to commercial opportunities existing across the sector, while providing prospective investors with information on potential ventures, associated costs and the support available to establish agricultural enterprises locally.

“The dealbook was developed to give investors a clearer understanding of the range of opportunities available in Jamaican agriculture and help them identify ventures that align with their investment interests and financial capacity,” Scully told the Jamaica Observer during an interview this week.

He said the publication has been particularly useful in the rollout of the Southern Plains Agricultural Development (SPAD) Project, under which the Parnassus and Amity Hall agro-parks have been developed.

SCULLY…the country needs investors

The document allowed applicants to identify the crops they wished to cultivate while providing cost estimates to help them assess the financial requirements of participating in various projects.

“The roll-out of the document has definitely brought more focus to a number of opportunities and we have seen strong interest in it since it has been launched,” Scully said, while noting that interest has extended across several crop categories such as sweet potato, cassava, scotch bonnet pepper and mango orchards.

Other crops identified for investment include irish potato, dasheen, carrot, ackee, breadfruit, and pineapple.

Outside of crop production, the deal book also identified investment opportunities in farm mechanisation, commercial hay production, aquaculture, livestock, cold storage, agro-processing and industrial infrastructure, spanning different stages of the agricultural value chain.

Among these is a proposed farm mechanisation hub that would allow a private investor to provide farmers and agribusinesses with access to machinery and equipment on a rental or lease basis, alongside other mechanisation services. The venture is intended to improve farm productivity while establishing a commercially operated support service for agricultural enterprises.

Another opportunity involves the establishment of a commercial hay operation specialising in Star grass and Pangola— two forage varieties suited to Jamaica’s climate. That project will address limited domestic supplies of quality livestock feed, particularly during droughts and other weather-related disruptions.

In aquaculture, investors were also invited to participate in the 300-acre Amity Hall Agro-Park in St Catherine, which is being promoted as a US$4.3-million investment opportunity. Spearheaded by the AIC and the National Fisheries Authority, the project was designed to expand commercial tilapia production, processing and exports.

Investments in livestock production were also encouraged through a proposed 20-acre commercial goat farm to meet domestic demand for live animals and processed meat.

Other projects included cold-storage facilities at Essex Valley and Coleyville, a processing facility at New Forest-Duff House as well as the rehabilitation of three industrial buildings for commercial storage and industrial occupancy.

Scully said that while the deal book is aimed at attracting international capital, local investors are equally important to the initiative. To this end, he said the AIC has remained busy promoting opportunities among the Jamaican diaspora through presentations at overseas forums and distribution of the document via Jamaican consulates.

“The country needs investors,” he said, while emphasising that the publication is available to anyone interested in participating in the agricultural sector, whether locally or overseas.

Citing findings from a recent survey, Scully said agricultural land has emerged as a significant area of interest among Jamaicans living abroad, with potential uses spanning both livestock and crop production.

Describing agriculture as an important contributor to gross domestic product (GDP), the CEO further said that the deal book not only highlights the sector’s significance to economic activity but also to food security and rural development.

In light of this, he said the AIC is now moving to strengthen the publication’s role as an investment facilitation tool that will successfully connect capital with projects that can expand domestic production, improve agricultural infrastructure and reduce Jamaica’s dependence on imported food

“The first edition features approximately 32 product and investment opportunities spanning crop production, livestock, aquaculture, agro-processing and agricultural infrastructure. The corporation is, however, targeting an expansion of that to approximately 50 opportunities in the next edition — which we expect to release around March 2028 at our next Agri-Investment Forum,” Scully said.