GRAHAM Dunkley, managing director of Caribbean Chemicals (Jamaica) Limited (CCJ), explains that the recent rebranding and public use of the Caribbean Chemical moniker is due to a long-delayed approval by the Companies Office of Jamaica which came in 2021.

CCJ describes itself as the leading agricultural input manufacturer and distributor in Jamaica of seeds (hybrid, non-GMO); herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides; slug bait; fertilisers (liquid, soluble, physical blend, compound blends) and bio-stimulants; nursery materials, sprayers (portable and tractor-mounted; manual and battery powered); and adjuvants.

Adjuvants are substances used to improve the effective use of other products.

In relation to the name change from Ag-Chem, the company head for the Jamaican operation explained, “In 2014, in preparation for the acquisition of the Agricultural Chemicals Plant division of J Wray & Nephew Limited by Caribbean Chemicals & Agencies Limited, based in Trinidad, an application to incorporate a company named Caribbean Chemicals (Jamaica) Limited was made at the Companies Office of Jamaica. The application was denied and a company was incorporated as ‘Ag-Chem Plant Limited’ to conclude the transaction with J Wray & Nephew Ltd whilst an appeal was launched.”

He explained further, “It was finally in February 2021 that Ag-Chem Plant Limited received approval from the Companies Office of Jamaica to change the name of the company to Caribbean Chemicals and Agencies Limited (CCJ).”

The company head notes, “Since acquisition of Ag-Chem in 2015 we have focused on new product introductions, expanded our offerings, deepened our field work with farmers, actively promoted and supported our products in the market.”

The Jamaican operation headed by Dunkley is also responsible for developing the western Caribbean defined as Jamaica, The Bahamas, Cayman, Turks & Caicos and Cuba. “We are supporting the opening of Caribbean Chemicals Dominican Republic (CC-DR) offices in 2022.”

He notes, “All our product lines are meeting our expectations at this time. We are especially proud of our game-changing Irish potato named ‘Banba’ that was launched two years ago and is fast becoming a farmer favourite due to its disease resistance, superior yield, ease of harvesting, excellent storage and taste.”

Dunkley said that during the 2020 to 2022 phase of the pandemic the company has not lost any member of the team to COVID-19, and staff affected by COVID-19 have recovered. Meanwhile, CCJ’s results are aligned with the trajectory of the agricultural sector, he asserts.

“We are grateful that farmers who were contracted by the tourism sector were able to pivot to service the domestic market; farmers who serviced the domestic sector improved their operations and yields, ensuring that we had adequate supplies of food throughout 2020-2022,” he outlined.

Caribbean Chemicals, like many other companies, had to modify operations or pivot. Dunkley said, “Our pivots were to change from mass face-to-face interactions to increased small group meetings, and improved digital/online and live radio interactions.

“Our strategy remains to improve the production, productivity and profitability of the farmer by seeking, proving and introducing the best technology — effectively demonstrating and efficiently communicating the benefits of its use and ensuring the widest possible availability throughout the island.”

CCJ indicates that, along with their sister companies and partners in the entire English-speaking Caribbean, the company is investing significant time and financial resources in educating Caribbean farmers on how to improve their yields and lower their growing costs by identifying and providing technology solutions for the issues Caribbean farmers face.

The prospects for agriculture in the region, he notes, are better than ever before. “Our people would benefit from consuming, in moderation, a healthy diet of locally sourced fruits, vegetables, tubers and root crops.

“Our export crops are in demand around the world and there is significant room for improvement in production and productivity. Our farmers are resilient and seize opportunities when they can, so we see room for growth of the agricultural sector.”

CCJ has moved to build relationships with product principals (e.g. BASF, JACTO, OMEX, Miller, Abodom etc) Dunkley said, “to ensure that we understand their products and how it fits in the overall solution to the issues affecting production and productivity. We build the skill set of our team members via continuous training (principal training, in-house training, shop owner training, field use) in the technology we adopt.”

He added, “We continuously review our human resources and hire accordingly. For example, we created a new working group [in-store promoters] and recruited eight team members in October 2021.”

The company has also invested in a new fleet of delivery trucks to improve islandwide service, and is also introducing new products to the market.

The managing director noted, “We bring new products to market each year and have a pipeline of innovations to be introduced over the next 12-18 months, like products from ExcelAg and new seed varieties including coloured potatoes.” ExcelAg is a US-based company that offers solutions to companies in various markets, including the agricultural sector.

Caribbean Chemicals (Jamaica) in the last 12 months has also added new fertiliser products including what is described as the most technologically advanced compound fertiliser in the market (Elixir) and “superior physical blend fertilisers (Abodom), as well as top-quality solubles and liquids from Agafert and Agasi.”