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Introduction
During 2008, real value added for
"Agriculture Forestry and Fishing" declined by 5.1 per
cent. The downturn in the sectors performance was due mainly to:
-
The lingering effects of Hurricane Dean in 2007;
-
Tropical Strom Gustav
in 2008; and
-
Hikes in the prices
of items such as fertilizer, seeds and
animal feed.
Gross
output of export crops declined by 16.2 per cent with banana, coffee and
sugar cane being the most affected.
Sugar
Cane
There
was a 16.1 per cent decline in the volume of sugar cane reaped
which was due to:
-
Hurricane
Dean and Tropical Storm Gustav;
-
Prolonged
rainfall during November 2007 and February 2008;
-
Factories
experiencing mechanical problems; and
-
Uncertainty
about Government's decision to privatize the sugar company.
During the calendar year 2008, sugar export was
136,070 tonnes with earnings of US$104.7 million compared to
153,053 tonnes valued at US$101.2 million in 2007. The quantity of sugar
cane required to produce one tonne of sugar improved to 11.73
tonnes from 11.97 tonnes in the previous crop year. This was due
to the production of better quality cane which yielded a higher sucrose
content.
Banana
During
2008, the volume of banana produced for export declined by 99.8
per cent to 39 tonnes compared to 17,473 tonnes in 2007. This downturn in production was as a result of Hurricane Dean
in 2007 which destroyed 85.0 per cent of the crops, therefore,
banana export. Banana production resumed in
August but was again hampered by Tropical
Storm Gustav which destroyed 80 per cent of the existing crop. Due
to these weather related shocks, a decision was taken to cease
banana export from Jamaica.
Other
Products
Other
products such as coffee, citrus, coconut and cocoa all experienced
declines due to the effects of Hurricane Dean in 2007 and Tropical
Storm Gustav in 2008. The volume of coffee
berries, Blue Mountain cherry coffee and Non Blue Mountain
coffee delivered to processing plants declined by 40.2 per
cent, 39.7 per cent and 43.4 per cent respectively. A decline was also seen in coffee export
of US$26.5 million
compared to US$27.2 million in 2007.
In
relation to citrus, overall production declined by 1.8 per cent.
However the fruit "Ugli" experienced an increase
of 41.8 per cent.
Production of sweet oranges remained relatively flat, while
grapefruit and Ortanique declined by 56.4 per cent and 25.0 per
cent respectively. The decline in citrus production was as a
result of higher input costs, the citrus Tristeza virus and decline in
Farmgate prices. As for coconut, the performance
was hampered by the Lethal Yellowing disease which
destroyed 45,000 trees in 2008 resulting in a 0.1 per cent
decrease in production. The volume of coconut
production declined to 95.3 million from 95.4
million in the previous year. The partnership was established
among the
Jamaica, Mexico and Honduras Governments to develop a variety
of coconut which is resistant
to Lethal Yellowing. This allowed the Government of Jamaica to
access a grant of US$101,000.
Cocoa
beans delivered to the processing plant declined by 47.0 per cent.
This decline was due mainly to the effects of Hurricane Dean in
2007 which destroyed 50 per cent or 9,000 hectares of cocoa
trees. Farmgate prices increased by 28.1 per cent.
This increase was expected to encourage farmers to improve their production levels.
A decline was also seen in the value of export earnings for the
cocoa industry to US$ 1.0 million compared to US$ 2 million in the
previous year.
Fishing
Fish
production and marine fishing for 2008 declined by 9.4 per cent
and 20 per cent respectively. The factors influencing the
decline in production were the adverse impact of Hurricane
Dean, pollution of some fishing areas and increased fuel cost.
Inland fish production recorded an increase of 5.0 per cent. At
the end of the calendar year, increases in fishes and registered
boats were 18,250 and 4,936 respectively.
Agriculture
Strategies and Policies
The
Ministry of Agriculture developed several strategies to
increase productivity and production in an attempt to strengthen
Jamaica's food security. These included:
-
increased
usage of modern technology in production;
-
resuscitating
the rice, dairy and small ruminants sub-industries;
-
increased
farm lands under irrigation; and
-
improved
access to land and affordable capital.
In
terms of policies, the Ministry of Agriculture has developed a
draft National Plant Health Policy in its drive to
address gaps and failures in the Plant Health system to which Jamaica is a signatory,
makes provision for the following policies:
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The
revision of existing legislation;
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The
building of institutional capacity;
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Improved
scientific and surveillance systems;
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Emergency
response for pest outbreaks; and
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Increased
public awareness.
.
Source: Economic and Social Survey Jamaica
2008
Updated December 2009
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