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The COVID-19, or novel coronavirus pandemic, has caused the global economy to come to a complete halt as countries close their borders in attempts to contain the viral outbreak from spreading. In the Caribbean, many nations have been able to contain the virus and in places like St. Lucia, see a 100% recovery from patients. In Jamaica, a country known for its holistic remedies, the move toward healthy eating has helped local Jamaicans fight off the virus.
A January Tourism Demand Study, conducted by Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism’s Tourism Linkages Council, estimated that the tourism sector had a demand of just under $3 million for agricultural products. The decline in the country’s tourism sector resulted in an imbalance of the supply and demand for produce on the local market. The government recently launched a new campaign, “Say Yes to Fresh” to promote buying local foods from vendors to drive consumption of healthy foods that grow on the island.
“With every crisis comes challenges and opportunities,” says Floyd Green, State Minister in Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, to Forbes.“Never has there been a better time to address Jamaican consumption patterns, to change the big picture.”
Some estimates predict that Jamaican farmers will see an annual hit of $1.68 million with the loss of markets (tourism, attractions as well as the downturn in local restaurants) but according to the estimates reported in the Tourism Demand Study, these figures could be significantly higher.
The food items that have been left behind as result in the decrease in tourism include fresh cantaloupes, honeydew, watermelons, pineapples, tomatoes, high-quality yams, squash, eggplant, and bananas, originally intended for the hospitality and tourism industry.
Prior to COVID-19, farms such as The Treasure Beach Hydroponic Farmers group in St. Elizabeth had invested just under $75,000 on its tomato harvest, which includes specialty cocktail tomatoes with 95% of the harvest destined for local hotels.
“We are expecting a harvest of 20,000 pounds of cantaloupes over the next few months,” says Minister Green. “We have to protect that investment.”
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