Jamaica Producers enters bammy market

Leon Pounall, Gleaner Writer

AGUALTA VALE, St Mary:DR CHRISTOPHER Tufton, minister of agriculture and fisheries, last week opened the Jamaica Producers Tropical Foods bammy factory in Agualta Vale, St Mary.

The Jamaica Producers (JP) group established the factory as part of a wider campaign that will allow it to use its agricultural focus to reduce the price of bammy and other cassava-based products on the Jamaican market.

The University of Technology is working in tandem with JP to make the project a reality. Vice-president of development at the institution, Professor Rosalee Hamilton, embraced the entrepreneurial efforts of the organisation.

"By partnering with JP, the university will be providing support and training for satellite entrepreneurial farmers, thus integrating aspects of the company into the academic curriculum especially entrepreneurship, tourism and hospitality management, and also from time to time undertaking research into various aspects of agriculture," Hamilton told the gathering at the official launch of the JP Tropical Foods Bammy production facility.

create employment

In anticipation of the launch of the bammy factory, JP Tropical Foods commenced cultivating cassava, along with the independent small farmers of Jamaica Producers' project care. This has resulted in a total of 85 acres currently under cassava production. The combined food processing and agricultural operations will employ more than 40 persons in St Mary.

JP is the first agricultural entity in Jamaica to be International Organisation for Standardisation-certified, and was the recipient of the national quality award for manufacturing in three of the last four years.