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It is not easy stepping out of your comfort zone to try something new … but that’s exactly what it will take for Jamaica’s farmers if […]
It is not easy stepping out of your comfort zone to try something new … but that’s exactly what it will take for Jamaica’s farmers if […]
It is not easy stepping out of your comfort zone to try something new … but that’s exactly what it will take for Jamaica’s farmers if they want to tap into a US$80 billion industry.
According to Jamaica Diaspora Taskforce representative, Kimone Gooden, the possibilities are endless if farmers open the door to organic farming.
Organic farming is a method of crop and livestock production that involves opting not to use pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and growth hormones.
Of course to borrow a cliché ‘anything good doesn’t come easy’ and venturing into this market will first take some training and learning ‘new farming tricks’ so to speak.
The good news though, is that they will not have to do it alone. Gooden told DoBusinessJamaica.com that many Jamaican farmers have not yet tapped into this lucrative area of farming and she is hoping to change that.
It is just a few farmers who have already signed on to organic farming at the export level.
With farmers often facing the ‘glut on the market’, poor sales from having to deal with ‘more sellers than buyers’, going organic could also be the answer to earning the much needed compensation for the hard work invested in tilling the soil.
Revealing that there is a great demand in the United States for organic produce and only a small number of suppliers – so much so that they have to turn their attention to Europe and other places to fill the gap.
With Jamaica ‘under US nose’, Gooden thinks farmers stand to earn really big on the export market if they go organic with their produce.
In addition to earning from the international market, farmers can also earn from tourists – many of whom have now opted for healthier eating habits.
Gooden feels that if farmers bond together a true organic market can be created in Jamaica.
For those whose interest has been aroused and you want to explore it further, the first thing to do is sign up with the Jamaica Diaspora Task Force – you can do that by contacting them on their website: Calling All Jamaicans.
The good news too is that once approved they are prepared to guide interested and committed farmers all the way to the US market!