Jamaica to Embark on a $250 Million Banana Export Expansion Program

After a series of natural disasters have significantly damaged Jamaica’s banana industry and therefore, its export market, the government of Jamaica is investing $250 million into a program to revitalize the sector, increasing banana production for global markets.

The program, the Banana Export Expansion Program (BEEP), will be implemented by the Banana Board, and funding for the program is being provided by the European Union funded Jamaica Banana Accompanying Measures (JBAMs).

The Banana Export Expansion Program (BEEP) will target both new and existing banana farmers in the parishes of Portland, St. Mary, and St. James. The $250 million investment will be allocated toward land divestment for priority agro parks, off-farm infrastructure upgrades for irrigation, and farm and road improvements. Of the funds, $76.5 million will be distributed through JBAMs for material inputs, Global Good Agricultural Practices (Global GAP) infrastructure, and Fairtrade Labeling Organizations (FLO) certification.

Under the program, farmers will be responsible for providing 60% of their production costs, while the remaining 30% will be provided by BEEP, which will also supply support in regard to training, certification, and technology adoption in both production and post-harvest management.

Farmers will also benefit from the establishment of agroparks which will function as incubators to drive the expansion of the industry within global standards, while maintaining its competitiveness in both the export and domestic markets.

In addition, the program will also address disaster mitigation, the prevention of Moco and Black Sigatoka diseases, and facilitate farmers’ access to the Catastrophe Fund.

Strong international demand have led to efforts to reintroduce Jamaican bananas to global export markets – these efforts have resulted in new markets in Canada, and Grand Cayman, and a smaller re-entry to the UK market which was suspended in 2008.