Prospects for fever grass warming up

SUMMERFIELD, Clarendon:

WHEN I was a child, there was a huge fever-grass clump in our yard in St James. I recall putting bottles of water in the heart of the clump to keep them cool. I also loved the flavourful hot drink made of it. Sniffing the aroma that the clump gave off at night was also delightful. But I was quite baffled when our dog Pup would from time to time chew on the sharp blades. My mother said it was taking "physic" (medicine).

Things and times changed. I moved on and the fever grass disappeared from my life, until a few years ago when I happened upon a massive clump. Since then, there is hardly ever a week that passed by without me having several cups of fever-grass tea. It is to die for. I have a clump once again in my backyard, but wherever I go in rural Jamaica, there is fever grass and I am sure to take back some. It's there for the taking.

In a conversation with Leopold Maye of Summerfield, Clarendon, last year, I realised that the herb, known internationally as lemon grass, was a viable cash crop. As we chatted among his shoulder-high lush seedlings, my nostrils were invaded by the strong aroma. I wondered aloud whether I was the only person who had an addiction of sort to it.

Monetary value

Since the conversation with Maye, I have been telling people with fever grass on their property about its monetary value, but they seem nonchalant. They have never regarded it as a commercial crop. It's more of a nuisance to some. One young man from St Catherine said when his clumps get too big, he simply chops them down. I told him he was wasting money as fever grass and its oil are in high demand. I mentioned a certain fever-grass report, but it seems as if he and others have never heard of it. He said he would definitely go into fever-grass cultivation if there were a sure market.

There are acres of idle fertile lands and thousands of young Jamaicans living in abject poverty. Could fever-grass production turn their lives around? Are they passing gold by in their own backyards without knowing it? Or are they taking the attitude of Shakespeare's Macbeth when he says to his deranged, sleep-walking wife's doctor, "Throw physic to the dogs, I'll (have) none of it"?

The aforementioned report was published by Marketech Limited, a subsidiary of the Scientific Research Council (SRC) in March 2009 and revised January last year. It says, among other things, "The demand for lemon grass does exist, but unfortunately it is not cultivated and processed to satisfy local demand ... . Representatives of spas and distributors of valued-added lemon grass products informed the SRC that they have to import lemon grass in its dried form or as oil to overcome the great shortfall being experienced.

Extraction facilities

In describing the farming status of the fever-grass industry, the report said only about three farmers cultivate it commercially. There were five lemon-grass oil extraction facilities, and two main producers of lemon-grass teas. This is puzzling, indeed, as the cultivation of the plant is not labour intensive and our tropical climate is well suited for its growth. It is not eaten by insects and animals, except occasional by dog for 'physics'.

It's versatile, well known for its therapeutic and medicinal values. It can be found in thousands of food and non-food products. The production and sale of fever-grass oil is a multibillion industry with the United States and the Netherlands being the major importers. Jamaica, in turn, imports the oil from these countries and India for spas and other personal care products.

Having recognised that Jamaicans can earn much money from the production and processing of this perennial herb, the SRC said in its report, "With the trend towards health and wellness, the demand for functional food and neutraceuticals has grown. Cognisant of the foregoing and the certain knowledge that lemon-grass ... can contribute to good health with ecosocial benefits, the SRC is spearheading its establishment as a local industry." And "a roll-out of this initiative" was scheduled to take place on October 3, 2009, under the theme, 'Yes Invest ... Unleashing Jamaica's Untapped Treasure'.

It has been awhile now since the Marketech fever-grass report, so The Gleaner visited the SRC recently to find out the present state of the fever-grass industry and what progress has been made since it launched the fever-grass initiative. Next week, the discussion continues.

Send comment to rural@gleanerjm.com