Imports hijack local produce market
Published:Saturday | March 12, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer
PORTMORE, St Catherine:
IN THE same week that Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton launched the latest Eat Jamaican campaign, vendors of imported agricultural produce were doing a thriving business at the Farmers' Market held at the Portmore HEART Academy in St Catherine on Friday.
While farmers were reporting good sales at that location for the third consecutive time, it was evident that sellers of imported and other items seem set to hijack the agriculture ministry's initiative that is designed to help offload local glut crops such as cabbage, tomato, and lettuce.
Imported garlic was in abundance, while salted codfish sold well at $270 a pound. Imported red peas and the Trade Wind line of juices and Julie mango plants also sold well. In previous weeks, fresh fish and eggs have been among the 'surprise' items that sold at this location, while sugar cane and jelly coconut, which were not among the original crops targeted, enjoyed brisk sales.
DESCRIBING HIMSELF as a hustler, St Andrew resident, Oswald Chandler, was kept busy making change as his friend worked hard to keep up with the demand for codfish and garlic they sold from a minibus at the Farmers' Market held at the Portmore HEART Academy in St Catherine a week ago.
"It work man," he said of his first-time venture at the HEART Academy, even as he declared that sales at Coronation Market were usually faster.
When asked about the decision to sell codfish, Chandler explained that his new-found customers were generally friendlier, and he was happy to be providing an in-demand product. "The people them love it, so you have to give the people what them want."
Clover Harris, who owns a callaloo farm in nearby Lakes Pen with husband Vincent, reported good sales at $40 a bundle. "It's been going well. Him (her husband) do the farming and me do the sales," she explained.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old farmer Crystal Harris, who made the trip from Linstead, was happy to report that at $200, the mango plants she had bought from a nursery were going fast, and she was down to only one bag of grapefruits, having sold all her otaheiti apples shortly after midday.
Happy to find markets
Farmer Rosel Wright, who cultivates Irish potato and carrot, among other crops in Guys Hill, was happy with the efforts of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority officers in helping her to find markets. She was particularly thankful for the week before when she was directed to the Merl Grove High School in St Andrew, where the teachers and students bought everything she had taken to sell.
However, she is concerned that the cheap imported Irish potato could hurt the local crop, which is just 'coming in', as even at $50 per pound, the home-grown tuber was more expensive than the imports. "So when you go to 'Curry,' you find seh that you can't sell off the Irish," she explained.
In his address to the Eat Jamaican campaign launch at the Coronation Market on Tuesday, March 1, Dr Tufton said the Government was prepared to focus on the need to convince Jamaicans about the value of eating local produce.
For Michael Smith, a champion farmer, and his brother-in-law, Delroy Clarke, who journeyed to the location from Warsop, Trelawny, to sell yam, cabbage, and carrots for the first time, it was definitely a blessing.
"Me like this thing them doing over because even if we sell cheap, we get money, so is not about cheap. If you can get back your money, you all right," he said. Smith has been burnt many times by higglers, who, after negotiating heavily discounted farm- gate prices with the money to be paid after the goods were sold, were unable to collect even this measly sum. Upon returning, the higglers would simply tell them that the market had been bad so they were not able to pay the agreed sum. It was against this background that he welcomed the opportunity to make this "quick sale and small profit".
Good mood
Even though they were selling the cabbage at $20 a pound, down from the morning high of $25, Clarke was in a good mood, though he reported not making a profit from selling yellow yam at $50 a pound. Though they are yam farmers, on this occasion, the duo was forced to buy from other farmers since their crops were not yet in and they claimed to be selling at cost price. Still, he had cause to celebrate his debut at the Portmore HEART Academy, having enjoyed success at the Hague agriculture showground Farmers' Market.
"This is the first one at this ground, and it work out well," he told The Gleaner.
Farmers, however, were not the only ones benefiting from the Farmers' Market.
"The market coming back?" Carol, who lives just across the road from the academy and works within walking distance from the academy, asked me. Upon being told that I did not know, she was fit to be tied.
"You supposed to tell me yes man, that me can save some more money. First of all, the load (not having to carry her purchases far) and the cheapness is very good. I just take my bags across the road and I'm good to go, and I'm going straight back to work now," Carol remarked.