#Jamaica, May 02, 2018 – Kingston – Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, is encouraging local horticulturalists to take advantage of the commercial opportunities in the international market.

“We need to take that step and seek to isolate a number of our flowers that are unique to Jamaica and turn them into an industrial export commodity, so that we can create jobs and earn some great profit,” he said.  The Minister was speaking at the opening of the Jamaica Horticultural Society’s   2018 Flower Show on April 27, at the entity’s showground in Hope Pastures, Kingston.

Mr. Shaw commended the group for its 63 years of committed service to preserving and showcasing the country’s natural beauty, and urged that this wealth of experience to be used to satisfy the international demand for products for landscaping and decorating purposes in the hotel industry and residential developments.

“I would like to invite you to start thinking about commercial and industrial (production).  Start looking at your lines to see which of them can become an industrial crop that can be targeted to an increasingly sophisticated world that will pay money for what we can produce here,” he said.

“We need to be thinking as entrepreneurs and thinking how we can take this natural beauty that we enjoy and let it become part of our national solution to productivity and wealth creation,” the Minister added.

For her part, President of the Horticultural Society, Dr. Janine Dawkins, said the show’s theme: ‘Nature’s Beauty – Our Duty’, sought to highlight the important role of horticulture in the environment.

“The theme for this year really seeks to bring home the environmental impact of horticulture and nature and what we must do to preserve our natural environment to ensure the future for our children,” she explained.

The event was held from April 28 to 29 and showcased a variety of endemic species of flora and fauna and agricultural products from over 90 vendors and exhibitors.

Release: JIS