Increased export earnings from hot peppers are among the projected outcomes of the soon-to-be-concluded project, "Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access Opportunities along the Hot Pepper Value Chain in Jamaica."
The project aims to support increased compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary standards for the production and export of Jamaica's hot peppers to the European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), Canada, and regional markets.
The project, which began in May 2022, is scheduled to be completed by July 31, 2025. It is being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the government through the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining.
Funding is provided through the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), a global partnership that supports developing countries in complying with international sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.
The parishes involved in the project are Clarendon, St. Ann, St. Mary, St. Elizabeth, and St. Catherine.
The project identified key resource gaps through a sector-wide assessment and is addressing these with targeted support to strengthen pest monitoring and plant health systems.
The handover of items to stakeholders on Monday (April 28) at the Kingston offices of the BSJ marks a major step in helping stakeholders adopt more resilient practices and meet international standards, ensuring greater access to both local and export markets.
Project Donor Representative from the STDF, Pablo Jenkins, said the project is at the core of the STDF's mission to help developing countries improve food safety and animal and plant health capacity to meet international sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.
"By enabling countries to meet SPS requirements, international trade of agricultural products such as hot peppers can become a crucial driver for development, fostering economic growth," he said.
© Adrian Walker
To achieve this, work is underway to improve the technical and resource capacity of local producers, inspection and regulatory bodies involved in sanitary and phytosanitary management, and extension delivery to increase the capacity of stakeholders to adopt standards along the hot pepper value chain, increase the production of hot peppers, and increase the export potential and market access opportunities for the sector.
To this end, farmers, extension officers, and quarantine regulators have been provided with critical inputs. Hot pepper farmers received surveillance and monitoring tools to improve pest detection and field management.
The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) will be equipped with similar tools to enhance extension support services across key parishes.
Meanwhile, the Plant Quarantine and Produce Inspection Branch (PQPI) received inspection and monitoring devices for better precision and increased accuracy in pest identification and field diagnostics.
Items handed over include 40 high-quality magnifying glasses, 15 respirators and 30 cartridges, 40 yellow sticky traps, and 40 blue sticky traps.
In addition, 25 tablets and protective cases, 10 GPS units, and four inspection cameras were handed over to participating inspection bodies.
Meanwhile, Focal Point, BSJ, Tafara Smith, said the project was written with the aim of improving the phytosanitary quality of peppers locally.
"We had reports of interceptions of our peppers being exported, both processed and especially our raw peppers. The project was written with that intention to reduce those phytosanitary interceptions or improve our phytosanitary conditions and our quality of peppers, improve exports and develop the capacity of our local stakeholders," she said.
The three-year project aims to improve compliance with food safety and plant health requirements along the hot pepper value chain to increase production and export to international markets.
It seeks to advance Jamaica's hot pepper industry by achieving a competitive, consistent, high-quality supply of fresh and processed products; meeting food safety and export requirements; sustainably meeting the increase in demand; increasing domestic and international sales; and enhancing the technical and resource capacity of local producers, inspection and regulatory bodies.
Source: Jamaican Information Service
