Pearnel Charles Jr, Jamaica’s minister of agriculture and fisheries, and a technical team from the ministry are currently in Tokyo, Japan on a seven-day visit, with the objective to broaden relations in technical cooperation, knowledge transfer, expansion of trade and investments and building capacity across industries between the two nations.

The minister is participating in the invitation programme organised and sponsored by the Association for the Promotion of International Cooperation (APIC). The ministry team is attending several events, including the opening of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA) boothe at the 2022 World Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition, visiting the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, meeting with the Japanese Importers of Jamaican Coffee and visiting other locations. During these invents, they intend to garner partnerships to enhance Jamaica’s fisheries and digital farming and agro-investment capabilities to foster the development of agro-forestry systems as part of ongoing efforts to establish a sustainable Jamaican coffee industry.

Speaking at the opening of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA) boothe at the Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition last Wednesday (October 12), Charles Jr congratulated the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan (SCAJ) and the All-Japan Importers of Jamaican Coffee (AJIJC) on successfully staging the return of the event after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

INCREASED EXPORT OF GREEN BEANS

The minister went on to commend the AJIJC for its support in other export efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic when there was difficulty in the ability to trade due to lockdown. With its support, Jamaica was able to export 348,060 kilogrammes of green beans during the 2020 crop year, a significant increase in comparison to the 249,300 kg traded in 2019 and the 244,031 kg traded in 2021.

Further, the minister added: “Coffee has become a very important foreign exchange earner averaging approximately US$30 million annually between 2018 and 2020 and the industry has contributed significantly to the socio-economic life of rural areas where it provides direct and indirect employment.”

The minister lauded the relationship between Jamaica and Japan, which has spanned more than half a century, and the adaptability of the stakeholders in meeting the wide range of ever-changing consumer demands.

SUPPORT FOR COFFEE PRODUCERS

Charles Jr also visited the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) headquarters where discussions were held with the agency heads towards strengthening the partnership and exploring new areas of cooperation and agreement, which will be further concretised by a JICA mission to Jamaica in November, to assess further areas for collaboration.

The Jamaican Government has continued to provide support to coffee producers through inputs and by strengthening the policy framework to protect the Jamaica Blue Mountain and Jamaica High Mountain brands. This approach is one element of the ministry’s Grow Smart, Eat Smart campaign, and a key component of the ministry’s efforts to strengthen Jamaica’s food security, while enhancing the living income of our coffee farmers and increasing the carbon sequestration potential of our coffee sector.

Japan has been one of Jamaica’s strongest development partners and continues to serve as the largest market for Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Japanese investments in Jamaica’s agricultural and energy sectors have been significant and the country provides several grants, concessionary loans and various forms of technical assistance to Jamaica.