KINGSTON – Jamaica’s coffee industry is showing further signs of recovery following the effects of Hurricane Sandy last year and the leaf rust disease, reports RJR News. Senator Norman Grant, President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), expects an increase in coffee production this year.
“The industry is showing signals of recovery in terms of the market. The production looks like it is the same or a little more than we did last year and, to that extent, we are admonishing our farmers to go back into the coffee field,” said Senator Grant.
The JAS is looking at a major resuscitation of the coffee industry in order to meet the demands of overseas importers.
Senator Grant said if this is done over the next five years, coffee production will return to six million pounds annually, up from the current 2.4 million pounds.
“There is a need right now for a major resuscitation programme in coffee… and we (the JAS) are certainly going to engaging the stakeholders, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Coffee Board to see what can be done,” said Senator Grant.
He is urging the 8,000-9000 coffee farmers to participate in this thrust to boost production.
Source: RJR News
