Durrant Pate/Contributor

The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has completed its preliminary competition assessment of the papaya export market with the details now being discussed and feedback being sought from interest groups.

The FTC has taken the initiative to assess competitive barriers in Jamaica’s export markets, given the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce’s push to increase Jamaican exports.

The export market assessment on papaya commenced with an objective to identify barriers to entry and expansion.

The assessment examines Jamaica’s regulatory framework, the framework of several papaya exporting countries, import requirements of the major papaya importing countries, and possible ways to address issues restricting entry and/or expansion in these markets.

The assessment is presently in the stakeholder consultation stage, with the FTC canvassing stakeholders’ views on the critical issues that have been identified. Issues include:

· Identifying challenges with growing papaya locally

· Pinpointing players that have exited the market and their reason for doing so

· Determining whether Jamaica has the capacity to meet a larger demand for papaya.

Feedback being sought

The Jamaica Manufacturers & Exporters Association, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Rural Agricultural Development Authority are among the stakeholders that have been approached for comments.

The FTC is also accepting feedback from other interested parties.