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Jamaican mangoes, sweet potatoes headed for US market
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
THE governments of Jamaica and the United States, despite their testy relationship in other areas, are working closely in the area of agricultural exports.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Donovan Stanberry yesterday said his ministry was working with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to facilitate the importation of produce such as mangoes and sweet potatoes from Jamaica into the US market by meeting the required sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards.
STANBERRY... we have, perhaps, as many people living between Miami, New York and London and Toronto as are living in Jamaica
Stanberry also urged local producers to focus on Jamaican diaspora in order to develop markets for Jamaican food products.
"We have, perhaps, as many people living between Miami, New York and London and Toronto as are living in Jamaica so it is very important that we get our agricultural products into these markets, and they are subject to the same analysis," he said.
The permanent secretary was delivering the main address in place of Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton at last Tuesday's opening of a three-day workshop on good practices for participation in SPS forum at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.
The workshop was organised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) in partnership with the USDA and the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Stanberry, however, warned that with the agricultural sector experiencing six consecutive quarters of growth, there would be a glut of these products on the local market, if export markets were not found for them.
"If we do find markets outside of Jamaica then we are going to start having problems. It's a problem when we don't produce enough, and it's a bigger problem when we produce too much without markets", he said.
In this regard Stanberry said Jamaican producers should seek to export more, not only to the Jamaica diaspora, but also to Caricom.
Dr Ricardo Molins, AHFS director of IICA, Costa Rica said the SPS measures should be viewed not as obstacles, but as a opportunity for export. He said the standards were necessary to protect Jamaica's flora and fauna and the health of the people.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
THE governments of Jamaica and the United States, despite their testy relationship in other areas, are working closely in the area of agricultural exports.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Donovan Stanberry yesterday said his ministry was working with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to facilitate the importation of produce such as mangoes and sweet potatoes from Jamaica into the US market by meeting the required sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards.
STANBERRY... we have, perhaps, as many people living between Miami, New York and London and Toronto as are living in Jamaica
Stanberry also urged local producers to focus on Jamaican diaspora in order to develop markets for Jamaican food products.
"We have, perhaps, as many people living between Miami, New York and London and Toronto as are living in Jamaica so it is very important that we get our agricultural products into these markets, and they are subject to the same analysis," he said.
The permanent secretary was delivering the main address in place of Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton at last Tuesday's opening of a three-day workshop on good practices for participation in SPS forum at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.
The workshop was organised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) in partnership with the USDA and the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Stanberry, however, warned that with the agricultural sector experiencing six consecutive quarters of growth, there would be a glut of these products on the local market, if export markets were not found for them.
"If we do find markets outside of Jamaica then we are going to start having problems. It's a problem when we don't produce enough, and it's a bigger problem when we produce too much without markets", he said.
In this regard Stanberry said Jamaican producers should seek to export more, not only to the Jamaica diaspora, but also to Caricom.
Dr Ricardo Molins, AHFS director of IICA, Costa Rica said the SPS measures should be viewed not as obstacles, but as a opportunity for export. He said the standards were necessary to protect Jamaica's flora and fauna and the health of the people.
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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