Improved market access for exporters of fresh produce

Jamaica has received clearance to export several fresh produce such as breadfruit, pineapples, sweetsop, soursop, plantains, lime and citrus to countries in the Caribbean and beyond, thus improving the market access for exporters.

Entomologist-Identifier at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Plant Quarantine and Plant Inspection Branch (PQPI), Mrs. Karen Barrett Christie, made this announcement during her presentation at the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

“For Barbados, we have gotten approval for pineapples. We are currently working on mangoes and pumpkin. For the Cayman Islands, we have gotten approval for soursop, sweetsop, breadfruit, and plantains. We have also gotten frozen and blanched ackees although that would not fall in the purview of the Branch but that is something that our exporters can also export to the Cayman Islands,” Mrs. Karen Barrett Christie explained.

Jamaica has also received approval to export citrus and lime to Trinidad and Tobago and is in the process of getting approval to export beetroot and carrots.

Regarding the commencement of the mango season, which runs from April to July every year, Mrs Christie said approval letters have been received from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for export of mangoes to the US for the upcoming season and the Branch is now awaiting the fruits to come in so that it can commence export.

Mrs. Christie also highlighted that there are tremendous opportunities for exporters, citing changes to the United Kingdom’s (UK) Plant Health (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, which reopened the UK market for our exporters.

“Jamaica can now export a wide range of commodities. So, our beautiful and delicious mangoes are back on the table. You can send your apples, plums, citruses, coconuts; the sky is the limit as to what you can send to the UK currently,” Mrs. Christie said.

“Exporters, I am imploring you to use this opportunity to expand your markets. Send more products so that Jamaica can earn the needed foreign exchange,” she added.

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