News on The Potato Supply Chain from Jamaica

Jamaican Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, has called on farmers in Manchester to produce more Irish potatoes to satisfy the high demand of local fast-food restaurant operators and franchises.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries of Jamaica, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson says he is anticipating that Jamaica will achieve its goal of 100 per cent self-sufficiency in the production of table Irish potato this year.

Jamaican potato farmers receive financial support from an unexpected source: a hotel chain wanting to serve its guests with locally grown Irish potatoes

Farmers in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, have increased cultivation of Irish potatoes more than four times over as the Government strives to meet the local demand of 15 million kilogrammes per year.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries of Jamaica announced they will be expanding the Irish potato programme to new planting areas for the 2016/17 crop year.

Jamaica’s capacity to produce clean Irish potato seedlings has been enhanced with a $19-million allocation from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Jamaica is to conduct research trials on 15 new varieties of imported Irish potato over the next three months, to determine their suitability for local conditions.

Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) has created a J$250-million (about 3 million USD) special line of credit for farmers of onion and Irish potato, accessible through the National People's Co-operative Bank network. Some 450 to 500 farmers are said to b...