WITH coffee production increasing by more than five per cent in 2022, the industry is looking forward to what could well be its best year since the arrival of COVID-19.

Thus the vibes were right and the crowd entertained at the “‘Coffee Farmers’ Trade Day” Expo at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) in St Andrew on Tuesday morning. It was the first of several such activities being promoted ahead of the popular annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival planned for its sixth staging on Saturday, March 25.

Farmers from all around the hilly Blue Mountain area and below, including St Andrew, Portland and St Thomas, were present at the function organised by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) and supported by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

Both Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Pearnel Charles Jr and Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett joined the happy crowd in saluting the hard-working and dedicated coffee farmers across Jamaica who have contributed to the growth of the industry.

The agriculture minister informed participants that last year a total of 251,296 boxes of coffee were produced, consisting of 239,885 boxes of Blue Mountain coffee and 11,411 boxes of High Mountain coffee, with a total export value of some US$17 million. This was consistent with the 5.1 per cent growth in production last year and looking up to a promising upward trend again this year.

“So, we’re moving up in increments, and that’s a positive thing. This is an encouraging sign of growth and progress in the industry,” Charles told the farmers, whom he thanked for their hard work and dedication.

Charles also urged the coffee farmers against being distracted by innovation and transformation in the coffee growing areas, which they might have feared as a threat to their authentic form of coffee cultivation.

“Do not see it as an attack on you. See it as something to help you. Embrace the technology and incorporate it into what you are doing,” Charles suggested.

“Make sure that if you have recommendations or constructive criticism, that you let them be heard. Things will not change for the better if you remain silent. We want our farmers to be more involved, and we want, as a ministry, to be more connected,” he stated.

He said that last year a total of 251,296 boxes of coffee were produced, consisting of 239,885 boxes of Blue Mountain coffee and 11,411 boxes of High Mountain coffee, with an export value of US$17 million. In addition, he noted that the projection is for the current crop to yield 264,900 boxes, with 251,000 boxes being Blue Mountain coffee and 13,900 boxes being High Mountain coffee.

Tourism Minister Bartlett reminded the farmers that agriculture is essential for the tourism sector’s sustenance, and welcomed their cooperation with the industry.

“Of all the partners and key players that enable travel and tourism to happen, farmers and agriculturalists are at the heart of it and are the most important, because 80 per cent of the reason that people travel is to consume food,” Bartlett argued.

He also raised the “stark reality” that the opportunity for them to grow, and expand and earn and to become prosperous from tourism, “is now better than it ever was, in the history of tourism in Jamaica”.

Tickets for the March 25 Blue Mountain Coffee Festival are currently available online at www.touchstonelink.com, or from authorised vendors, including Blue Brews Bistro, Rituals Coffee House, Starbucks, Cannon Ball Café, Café Blue, Island Coffees Café, and Deaf Can Coffee. Prices are $5,000 for adults and $3,000 for children 12 years and older.