The Editor, Sir:

We write in response to the article in The Gleaner of September 24, titled 'JP Looks to Latin America', and would like to correct some errors therein as follows:

In Costa Rica, Jamaica Producers (JP) had contracts with banana growers to sell us bananas. We did not ever use 'contract workers' as stated in the article.

We would like to make it clear that JP has never operated "low-wage farms" in any country, nor have we bought bananas from any "low-wage growers" in any country. Our company is committed not only to high-quality standards, but social standards as well.

The article states that JP controls approximately one-third of the British market. When we owned our fruit-distribution subsidiary, JP Fruit Distributors, in the UK, that company had a 16 per cent share of the British market. Our company, however, sold JP Fruit Distributors three years ago.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your balanced coverage of the issues affecting the Jamaican banana industry in the recent past.

I am, etc.,

LISA McG. JOHNSTON

Corporate affairs manager