Government pushes to increase onion production

Despite the challenges in the agricultural sector, there is still a ray of hope for Jamaican farmers.

This, as the ministry steps up its initiative to increase onion production to satisfy local demand of approximately 12,000 tonnes annually, and cut the US$4 million spent yearly to import the crop, to US$2 million, by 2013.

"Last year, we produced 721 tonnes, that is approximately six to seven per cent of overall production that we were able to produce locally.

"Now that six to seven per cent, incidentally, represents a 60 per cent increase over the year before, so in a sense we are going in the right direction, but still very far from the target," Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton disclosed at an onion field day at the Bodles Research Station in St Catherine.

He cited liberalisation of the market and lack of investment in capacity building as two factors which have contributed to the demise of the market for onions.

Tufton asserted that the latter was not unique to onion production, but the general agricultural sector. Therefore, as part of its thrust to promote sustainable agriculture, he said the ministry has taken steps to address some of the shortcomings.

"In the case of onions, we are attempting to look at our trade policy, as we are entitled to do under WTO (World Trade Organisation), to ensure that if our farmers grow the onions, grow it through best practices, get the necessary yields, then they should not be placed in a position where they have to compete with others who benefit from significant subsidies in external markets," explained the minister.

As it relates to capacity building, Tufton indicated that input suppliers of planting material from stake-holders such as St Jago Farm Supplies and Agro Grace, which partnered with Bodles Research and Develop-ment Division to evaluate the eight varieties of onions introduced for local production, were critical to producing the crop.

Greater capacity

"That collaboration and stakeholder participation in aid of advancing better understanding, promoting better capacity in onion production is an attempt to address the other part of the equation, which is establishing best practices."

In addition, Tufton noted that one of the long-standing challenges was post-harvest management, which must be addressed.

"We lose too much of our hard labour and our output a consequence of that labour because we do not spend sufficient time to ensure that once the product grows, we can preserve it for an extended period of time," he said.

While not divulging details, Tufton indicated that his ministry was in the process of developing a seed law "that is going to oversee the importation of planting material and require best standards for planting material, as part of the productivity and sustainability initiatives".

In the meantime, Michelle Wallace of Thetford Farm in St Catherine was among the farmers who attended the onion field day and welcomed the initiative to boost production of the crop.

"I did some scallion before and it did pretty well. The reason I stopped was because of marketing problems.

"So last year when the Government came up with onion and said there was a guarantor market and that it's the same family and same way of growing, I decided to switch to onion," she told The Gleaner.

Another St Catherine farmer, Garth Chambers of Lloyd's Pen, lauded the move and indicated that he was in the process of preparing half-acre of farmland to start cultivating the crop in September.

"I think it's a good crop and the demand is there, so I want to try it.," said Chambers.