Chairman of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA), Norman Grant, has announced that the Blue Mountain Coffee Industry is set to experience a substantial growth trajectory based on aims to increase production to 450,000 boxes of the renowned coffee in the next four years.

Grant, who is also CEO of the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, clarified that the industry is targeting a 5 per cent annual increase in sales over the next decade to grow from a weighted average of US$15 million annually to US$100 million. This growth initiative will be backed by the Crop Restoration and Establishment Programme (CREP), a billion-dollar initiative over five years that aims to provide support, including seedlings, fertilisers, chemicals, and other inputs, to coffee farmers as part of a broader effort to rebuild and resuscitate the island’s coffee industry.

Grant revealed that in the 2022-2023 period, 285,000 boxes were produced compared to 240,000 in the previous year; an increase of over 17 per cent. But in the 2023-2024 period, adverse weather conditions, poor road infrastructure in the region, among other factors, have resulted in an estimated loss of 50,000 boxes valued at J$480 million, which is below the JCEA’s prediction of 300,000 boxes.

He also called for investments to expand road infrastructure development in the Jamaica Blue Mountain region, which spans the parishes of Portland, St Thomas, and St Andrew, to unlock the industry’s full potential.