Hugh Martin THE JAMAICA Agricultural Society (JAS) must be commended for its attempt to stimulate greater consumption of Jamaican agricultural products and therefore increased agricultural production through its recently launched 'Eat Jamaican' campaign. While it is not the first time such a drive has been made by the JAS, as there have been numerous attempts in the past with very little success, it must be admitted that there is something about this new effort which has a compelling force to it.
Perhaps it is the vibrant approach the new President has brought to it that has generated the goodwill and co-operation not only from the sector but also from the population at large.
President Norman Grant and President Doreen Frankson of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association, in joining forces, have succeeded in helping to create a formidable lobby for the productive sector that cannot any longer be ignored. So the twin campaigns of 'Eat Jamaican, Buy Jamaican' have already generated much discussion and support. It should succeed because it has managed to do what the other campaigns failed to do; that is, to stir the patriotic instincts of the population with reasoned arguments and effective strategies.
WORLD-BEATERS FOR QUALITY
One of the most persuasive arguments I have heard from the JAS so far is its reference to the indisputably superior taste of the Jamaican agricultural product over all comers. Jamaican coffee generally, and the Blue Mountain brand especially, lead the world in taste and quality and is by far the most acclaimed. Cocoa, pimento, ripe banana, ginger, Scotch Bonnet pepper, the list goes on, are all world-beaters for quality and taste. And we're carefully carving out our name on the global stage with some value-added products like our seasonings, canned products, rums and liqueurs. The JAS' argument is that the same holds good for our vegetables, tubers and grains.
Many persons have wondered what is responsible for this remarkable Jamaican taste in the fruits and foods 'sun-made' here. Some have come up with theories which vary from the unique blends of micro-climates to the types of soil and trace elements in those soils in combination with the incredibly pure water that flows into the underground aquifers from the many watersheds. One of our eminent scientists.
Professor Gerald Lalor, speaking earlier this year at the annual conference of the Jamaican Society for Agricultural Sciences (JSAS), hinted that he had a theory on the phenomenon but he was reserving comment for the time being. Based on the substance of his address that followed though, which dealt with some of the results of investigations being carried out by the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences at the University of the West Indies which he heads, I believe it relates to the soil. But let's not try to second-guess the noted scientist who prefers to rely on empirical data rather than gut feelings.
The question that arises, however, is, if our products are of such great taste and quality, how come we have to be imploring consumers to buy them? They should be rushing to pick them up at the green grocers, the supermarkets or even at the farm gate. Instead what we have is a farming sector that is constantly complaining that they can't sell their produce because of cheaper imported stuff. The truth is that the consumer is not buying simply on the basis of lower prices. Most Jamaican consumers are extremely quality conscious and will pay the higher price for the better item. So it all comes down to what they see in front of them. And this is where the Jamaican farm product falls down in the packaging.
GRADING AND PACKAGING
I don't know how the supermarkets obtain their supply of local fruits, tubers and vegetables but there is obviously no attempt at grading before packaging. So a one kg. (approximately 2.2lb) package of, for instance, imported carrots is a cosmetically beautiful set of tubers, nine inches long by 1/2-inch diameter. The local counterpart, however, comprises varying sizes of mostly deformed tubers which should never have left the fields. Neither of those two specimens can induce me to purchase them as the former is tasteless and the latter is too ugly to stimulate my digestive juices. I believe most consumers are influenced to purchase by the appearance of the food and not by the inherent taste.
This is not to say that the Jamaican farmer does not produce cosmetically beautiful carrots and other produce, because they do. The problem is that no emphasis is placed on grading and packaging and invariably those who do the marketing want to sell everything at the same high price.
If the JAS and the JMA want us to eat Jamaican and buy Jamaican, they must do more than rely on the reputed good taste of the products and seek to improve the presentation. The Jamaican farmer has shown time and time again that he can produce to meet any demand once there is a guaranteed market and reasonable prices. The provision of proper grading and packaging facilities will ensure that the Jamaican consumer will select the local produce over the imported each and every time. I for one certainly will.
Hugh Martin is a communication specialist and farm broadcaster. E-mail: humar@cwjamaica.com
