EDITORIAL: We must throw our weight behind agriculture

Christopher Tufton, the agriculture minister, is right. Jamaican farmers, given the environment and circumstances within which they operate, have, in recent times, been performing reasonably well.

In 2009, farm production, at nearly 490,000 tonnes, was the best in six years after the disruptions caused by hurricanes in recent years. The value of agricultural output was up 12 per cent to $106 billion, and the sector's contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), after years of either stagnation or decline, inched up by nearly a full percentage point to 5.6 per cent.

Critically, too, at a time when most other sectors, hit hard by the global recession, were shedding jobs, agriculture held its own, directly employing approximately 220,000 people and supporting tens of thousands more. Indeed, the farm sector has been proving more than its worth in the face of crisis.

But while we hail the performance and the new, and seemingly growing, confidence by those in the sector, it is important not to overstate the case. For, the truth is Jamaica's agriculture continues to underperform, failing to produce, Dr Tufton noted in his recent parliamentary review, at either optimum quantity, or quality, or delivering sufficient value-added.

But this won't just happen with the wave of a wand. Or, stated another way, there has to be a clear focus on agriculture, translating into deliberate policies in support of the sector, beyond the initiatives now being pursued by the agriculture minister.

In this regard, and given the current environment, this newspaper would support policies that might not otherwise be contemplated, including aggressive protection for the farm sector.

population shift

Over the past 40 years or so, Jamaica has faced a rapid shift in population from its rural to urban centres, as people seek to escape the grimness of poverty and a crumbling farm economy, worsened by trade policies that favour imports over domestic production. The circumstances of the over two-thirds of the country's poor, who live in rural communities, are likely to be exacerbated by the collapse of the mining sector - including the closure of alumina refineries - as well as the soft market for tourism.

Agriculture offers the most immediate prospects for job creation in rural communities. But there are also implications for the broader economic development and food security.

Already, the country can ill-afford the over US$800 million spent annually on importing food, which places pressure on the balances of payments and, ultimately, the fiscal accounts. Indeed, the Government believes Jamaica could avoid or substitute up to a third of its food imports.

But we need not reach that level for a project of import substitution and value-added production to make sense. At present, not only does Jamaica not produce enough to meet demand, less than 40 per cent - in some countries it is as high as 70 per cent - of its primary produce goes on to further production. When this value-added is taken into account, the sector's contribution to GDP is over 11 per cent. In Costa Rica, however, the agriculture/agrifood contribution to GDP is over 22 per cent. The possibilities are clear.

But delivering on the possibilities needs decisive, bold and gutsy action by the Government. It must be ready to do so and to withstand the inevitable pressures for the good of Jamaica.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.