Montego Bay, November 20, 2019 – Jamaica – Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, is encouraging farmers to position themselves to take advantage of the expected boom in tourism over the next two years. He said that the Government’s target of adding 15,000 hotel rooms by 2021 presents a golden opportunity for players in the local sector.
Mr. Shaw, who was speaking to JIS News at the staging of the Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference
and Operations Summit (CHICOS) in Montego Bay
recently, said that the Ministry will be taking the lead in ensuring that the
hotel sector serves as a ready-made market for local produce.
He noted that the heavy reliance on
imported foods is counterproductive and “doesn’t do much if anything for the
local economy”.
“We must get to the point where our tourists are fed with
what we produce here, locally. As I have said repeatedly, we must stop flying
the food on the plane with the tourists,” he said.
“The utilisation of local produce will benefit our
communities, our farmers and by extension…the entire country. For sure, there
will be a reduction in the dependency of imports and, where possible, an
expansion of exports,” the Minister added.
He said there is now a coordinated and
deliberate approach to increase local production in order to meet the needs of
the growing hotel sector.
“It must also be noted that our farmers now
have the available technology to produce quality crops that can supply both
local and international markets,” he pointed out.
Minister Shaw said that the agricultural
sector has the ability to be a game changer for Jamaica’s economic fortunes,
and expressed pleasure at the growing number of persons “getting on board the
agriculture train”.
“I think people are starting to realise
that agriculture is big business and that there are opportunities to be had. When
our young children see what is going on… then they too can aspire to be
farmers, knowing it is a noble profession and one that can also be lucrative,”
he said.
Contact: Garwin Davis
Release: JIS
Photo Caption: Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw.
Photo Credit: Donald De La Haye