Coffee farmers cry for more assistance

Hit with losses estimated at $1 billion from the devastating effects of Hurricane Melissa, the local coffee industry yesterday received 5,000 bags of fertiliser and other key agricultural inputs valued at $35 million from the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA).

The handover to farmers at JACRA’s headquarters in Kingston yesterday forms part of a $120-million contribution by the Government and the regulatory body for targeted intervention to address one of the most immediate needs in the recovery process, including nutrient restoration and productivity support at the farm level.

While expressing appreciation for the donation to coffee farmers, Donald Salmon, president of the Jamaica Coffee Farmers Association, said much more was needed to provide critical support to the beleaguered sector.

In his comments at the handover ceremony, Salmon said there were coffee farmers who have not been able to access large areas of their farms since the passage of the hurricane in October, owing to significant damage to roads.

Salmon argued that the coffee industry has not been favoured with the kind of interventions that the Government makes to other sectors in the country.

“The Government either doesn’t have the money or doesn’t want to put money in coffee, and I say that bluntly because I see where tourism, JPS (Jamaica Public Service) and everybody getting money, we want grants and we want assistance,” he said.

Salmon said many of the farmers who help to produce 80 per cent of Jamaica’s premier coffee are either squatters, have no titles, or very small and capital-starved.

He questioned how these farmers are expected to go back into production without money and assistance from the Government.

“When I travel, it’s mind-boggling - Bob Marley, Usain Bolt and Blue Mountain coffee - we are seen in the world as one of the best coffees. Everybody wants a piece of us, and I think we are not taking advantage of our potential,” he added.

Wayne Hunter, acting director general of JACRA, said the fertiliser would assist farmers in rebuilding tree health, stabilising yields, and laying the foundation for future production cycles.

“It is not a silver bullet, but it is a critical component of a broader recovery strategy – one that recognises that timely inputs can make the difference between decline and renewal,” he said.

For JACRA, Hunter said this initiative is not an isolated action, but forms part of the regulatory body’s ongoing mandate to regulate, develop, and support the commodities under its purview.

The acting director general said that from January to March, JACRA will make further interventions to assist coffee farmers. Beginning in April, JACRA will begin the distribution of planting materials.

Dr Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association, said the industry had projected a harvest of about 270,000 boxes of coffee for the 2025-2026 crop.

However, with the impact of the storm, approximately 100,000 boxes of coffee were lost, compounded by extensive damage to many coffee trees.

Calculated at $10,000 per box, the farm gate losses alone amounted to $1 billion.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com