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JHTA committed to supporting local farmersEvelyn Smith, GUEST COLUMNIST
This is an open letter to Lenworth Fulton, CEO of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority.
We write regarding to your article RADAs role in agro development, which was published in The Sunday Gleaner of June 9, 2013. We find it necessary to respond to two comments.
Your article asserts that RADA has also approached the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) to purchase some of these products in keeping with the policy direction of the Government of Jamaica, to which we are still awaiting a response.
In your interview on Television Jamaicas Smile Jamaica programme on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, you once again mentioned that RADA had contacted the JHTA and had not yet received a response.
For the record, the JHTA bas never received any correspondence from your office on this matter. On its own initiative, the association has been an active participant in many discussions aimed at increasing agricultural production.
We continue to strongly advocate for the speedy implementation of initiatives that will expand the range and improve the quality of crops required to maintain the first-class tourism product that Jamaica offers to the world. In the interim, our members, large and small, continue to purchase significant quantities of the produce that is available.
Second, while we are pleased to read of your willingness to sit with the JHTA and come up with solutions that are geared towards increasing the production and productivity of our farmers which will undoubtedly impact the gross domestic product of the country, we believe that readers may be left with the impression that there has been some reticence on the part of the association to meet with RADA, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Such an opinion would be completely without merit, as evidenced by the many approaches made by the JHTA, some of which are listed below:
1. The JHTA initiated a meeting on June 14, 2011 with the then minister of agriculture and fisheries, Dr Christopher Tufton. Senior representatives of the ministry and its agencies were present. A number of initiatives were proposed by our association at that meeting.
On July 7, 2011, a follow-up letter was sent to Robert Montague outlining prior discussions with Dr Christopher Tufton and again reiterating our interest in further dialogue and partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and its agencies. We never received a response to this letter.
On September 6, 2012, we met with the minister of agriculture and fisheries, Mr Roger Clarke, and senior members of his ministry. Matters discussed with the minister and his team included:
The importance of developing farmers markets in specific resort areas into attractions that our visitors can truly enjoy;
Working closer to develop programmes within our sector to attractively showcase local produce;
The need to develop programmes to expand the range of offerings available to the tourism industry from the agricultural sector, for example, culinary herbs, uncommon and traditional Jamaican fruits;
Regular communication between the JHTA and representatives of the agriculture ministry and its agencies to quantify the demand for agricultural produce from the tourism sector, and to enhancing income-earning opportunities for farmers;
The importance of developing an e-solution to enable the tourism industry to easily access information on the availability of produce from the farmers. On an initial basis, a request was made by the JHTA for a listing of registered farmers (and their relevant produce) for inclusion on the associations website. This listing could be updated regularly by the relevant ministry personnel.
A Linkages Committee was established in mid-2012 by Dr Wykeham McNeill, the tourism minister.
The purpose of this committee is to maximise access by producers in agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors to the lucrative market that tourism offers. The JHTA has been an active participant in all of those meetings at which initiatives geared at improving linkages with agriculture have been thoroughly discussed and commitments and timelines for implementing them established. Senior representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and its agencies have been present at these meetings.
A broader tourism and agricultural stakeholder consultation session was held at the Terra Nova Hotel on February 28, 2013 at the invitation of the minister of tourism. Over 70 per cent of the accommodation sector was represented at that meeting. There was a clear interest from the wider tourism industry in purchasing more local produce whenever it is available.
The premier trade show held in Jamaica for marketing Jamaicas tourism product is the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX). This event has been in existence for 22 years and offers tourism players the opportunity to meet and negotiate contracts with overseas and local travel agents and tour operators.
The JHTA took the decision to widen the scope of this event to be truly a Jamaican-product marketplace and include suppliers of goods and services to the tourism sector, thereby allowing producers of agricultural products, manufactured goods and various services to have access to the many tourism players present.
RADA was specially invited to participate, and its level of participation is noted below:
At JAPEX 2011, RADA participated and its booth was well patronised by our membership;
At JAPEX 2012, RADA scaled down its presence significantly at this event with only a small team from the RADA-St Ann division being present;
At JAPEX 2013, RADA declined to participate.
Negril farmers market
As a result of strong advocacy by the Negril Chapter of the JHTA, the Negril farmers market was started in 2011. Your records will indicate that the Negril farmers market has turned out to be one of the most successful in Jamaica. This is due, in large part, to the strong support given to the RADA team by the JHTA and its members.
The Negril market continues with the strong support of the JHTA and the entire Negril resort community and has proven to be a strong source of income for our farmers. I am sure that you are aware that this market is being used as a case study by your agency for the establishment of farmers markets in other resort areas.
The JHTA assures you of its continued support in these efforts.
The above-noted initiatives complement the many other discussions and approaches made in prior years by our association and our individual members, all of which have been aimed at encouraging growth of our agricultural sector.
Indeed, many of our members and I, myself, have been commended for our efforts by senior RADA personnel in your various regions.
The council and members of the JHTA are active participants in well-planned initiatives aimed at improving the supply and increasing the demand for local agricultural produce to the tourism industry.
As the JHTA strives to achieve its goal of creating a more enabling environment for the growth of the tourism sector, we are fully cognisant of the role that all Jamaicans, especially our farmers, play in this effort. It is for this reason that we have made the efforts mentioned previously.
We assure the Jamaican public of our commitment to supporting local agriculture, and to increasing our farmers access to the lucrative markets in our sector, thereby improving the quality of life of many more Jamaicans.
Evelyn Smith is president of the JHTA. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.
This is an open letter to Lenworth Fulton, CEO of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority.
We write regarding to your article RADAs role in agro development, which was published in The Sunday Gleaner of June 9, 2013. We find it necessary to respond to two comments.
Your article asserts that RADA has also approached the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) to purchase some of these products in keeping with the policy direction of the Government of Jamaica, to which we are still awaiting a response.
In your interview on Television Jamaicas Smile Jamaica programme on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, you once again mentioned that RADA had contacted the JHTA and had not yet received a response.
For the record, the JHTA bas never received any correspondence from your office on this matter. On its own initiative, the association has been an active participant in many discussions aimed at increasing agricultural production.
We continue to strongly advocate for the speedy implementation of initiatives that will expand the range and improve the quality of crops required to maintain the first-class tourism product that Jamaica offers to the world. In the interim, our members, large and small, continue to purchase significant quantities of the produce that is available.
Second, while we are pleased to read of your willingness to sit with the JHTA and come up with solutions that are geared towards increasing the production and productivity of our farmers which will undoubtedly impact the gross domestic product of the country, we believe that readers may be left with the impression that there has been some reticence on the part of the association to meet with RADA, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Such an opinion would be completely without merit, as evidenced by the many approaches made by the JHTA, some of which are listed below:
1. The JHTA initiated a meeting on June 14, 2011 with the then minister of agriculture and fisheries, Dr Christopher Tufton. Senior representatives of the ministry and its agencies were present. A number of initiatives were proposed by our association at that meeting.
On July 7, 2011, a follow-up letter was sent to Robert Montague outlining prior discussions with Dr Christopher Tufton and again reiterating our interest in further dialogue and partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and its agencies. We never received a response to this letter.
On September 6, 2012, we met with the minister of agriculture and fisheries, Mr Roger Clarke, and senior members of his ministry. Matters discussed with the minister and his team included:
The importance of developing farmers markets in specific resort areas into attractions that our visitors can truly enjoy;
Working closer to develop programmes within our sector to attractively showcase local produce;
The need to develop programmes to expand the range of offerings available to the tourism industry from the agricultural sector, for example, culinary herbs, uncommon and traditional Jamaican fruits;
Regular communication between the JHTA and representatives of the agriculture ministry and its agencies to quantify the demand for agricultural produce from the tourism sector, and to enhancing income-earning opportunities for farmers;
The importance of developing an e-solution to enable the tourism industry to easily access information on the availability of produce from the farmers. On an initial basis, a request was made by the JHTA for a listing of registered farmers (and their relevant produce) for inclusion on the associations website. This listing could be updated regularly by the relevant ministry personnel.
A Linkages Committee was established in mid-2012 by Dr Wykeham McNeill, the tourism minister.
The purpose of this committee is to maximise access by producers in agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors to the lucrative market that tourism offers. The JHTA has been an active participant in all of those meetings at which initiatives geared at improving linkages with agriculture have been thoroughly discussed and commitments and timelines for implementing them established. Senior representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and its agencies have been present at these meetings.
A broader tourism and agricultural stakeholder consultation session was held at the Terra Nova Hotel on February 28, 2013 at the invitation of the minister of tourism. Over 70 per cent of the accommodation sector was represented at that meeting. There was a clear interest from the wider tourism industry in purchasing more local produce whenever it is available.
The premier trade show held in Jamaica for marketing Jamaicas tourism product is the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX). This event has been in existence for 22 years and offers tourism players the opportunity to meet and negotiate contracts with overseas and local travel agents and tour operators.
The JHTA took the decision to widen the scope of this event to be truly a Jamaican-product marketplace and include suppliers of goods and services to the tourism sector, thereby allowing producers of agricultural products, manufactured goods and various services to have access to the many tourism players present.
RADA was specially invited to participate, and its level of participation is noted below:
At JAPEX 2011, RADA participated and its booth was well patronised by our membership;
At JAPEX 2012, RADA scaled down its presence significantly at this event with only a small team from the RADA-St Ann division being present;
At JAPEX 2013, RADA declined to participate.
Negril farmers market
As a result of strong advocacy by the Negril Chapter of the JHTA, the Negril farmers market was started in 2011. Your records will indicate that the Negril farmers market has turned out to be one of the most successful in Jamaica. This is due, in large part, to the strong support given to the RADA team by the JHTA and its members.
The Negril market continues with the strong support of the JHTA and the entire Negril resort community and has proven to be a strong source of income for our farmers. I am sure that you are aware that this market is being used as a case study by your agency for the establishment of farmers markets in other resort areas.
The JHTA assures you of its continued support in these efforts.
The above-noted initiatives complement the many other discussions and approaches made in prior years by our association and our individual members, all of which have been aimed at encouraging growth of our agricultural sector.
Indeed, many of our members and I, myself, have been commended for our efforts by senior RADA personnel in your various regions.
The council and members of the JHTA are active participants in well-planned initiatives aimed at improving the supply and increasing the demand for local agricultural produce to the tourism industry.
As the JHTA strives to achieve its goal of creating a more enabling environment for the growth of the tourism sector, we are fully cognisant of the role that all Jamaicans, especially our farmers, play in this effort. It is for this reason that we have made the efforts mentioned previously.
We assure the Jamaican public of our commitment to supporting local agriculture, and to increasing our farmers access to the lucrative markets in our sector, thereby improving the quality of life of many more Jamaicans.
Evelyn Smith is president of the JHTA. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.