Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw, speaking at the virtual Organic Farming and Healthy Eating in Jamaica Seminar on November 11, 2021 organized by the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, UWI Mona Campus.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw, is encouraging more youth and new entrant farmers to engage in organic farming and tap into the multi-billion dollar demand for organic products.
“With the global farming market size valued at US$95.38 billion in 2020 and projected to reach US$213.67 billion by 2030, Jamaica must strive towards using more organic inputs on our farms. It is also imperative that we vigorously pursue the development of our organic agricultural industry,” said Shaw.
The Agriculture and Fisheries Minister was speaking at the virtual Organic Farming and Healthy Eating in Jamaica Seminar on November 11, 2021 organized by the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, UWI Mona Campus.
Acknowledging that there is a growing demand for organic food products worldwide, with the Food and Agriculture Organization stating that land earmarked for organic cultivation grew from 15 million hectares in 2000 to 71.5 million hectares in 2018, Shaw said that this growth indicates an increase in the consumption of organic goods over the past few years.
In keeping with this trend, the Government, through the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, has developed a national organic standard called the organic certification programme. This programme, he said, is aimed at working with organic producers to provide consumers with certified organic products.
“Our agencies have been encouraging producers to get certified, as this organic certification allows a farm or processing facility to sell, label, and represent their products as organic,” Shaw stated.
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