Dr. Fenton Ferguson
THE BUZZ word in the agricultural sector these days is neutraceutical. It is essentially a contraction of pharmaceuticals and nutrients. Neutraceutical products can either be pharmaceuticals or food additives and offer the greatest value-added potential to the agricultural industry.
The Ministry of Agriculture is clearly heading in that direction but the private sector is lagging behind. Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture Dr. Fenton Ferguson made these observations while he spoke in the sectoral debate in Parliament recently. He said that the nature of the island's soils, climate and proximity to markets make the industry a winner for Jamaica, but the country needs to explore every possible opportunity to make it a reality.
He said that against that background, the Agri-business Council of Jamaica, in collaboration with the Scientific Research Council, the Natural Products Institute of the University of the West Indies and the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), has drafted a pilot project to explore Jamaica's potential in the market.
The crops identified for exploration are ginger, ripe banana skin, tumeric, pimento, sugar bagasse and black pepper.
However, there is a problem. The expanded production of these crops to provide the basic raw material for value-added processing is not taking place as investments in the product lines have decreased over the years. Essentially, persons wishing to get involved in neutraceuticals will have to do a fully integrated business starting with growing the crop.
Head of the research division at the Bodles Agricultural Station, Dr. Joseph Lindsay, said his institution will be undertaking a number of research projects related to neutraceuticals to assist with raw material production.
"We will be looking at the culture including planting, spacing, fertilisers, protection from diseases etc. In order for this area of the sector to be viable, the parent material has to be provided at the highest quality. In agriculture today, the attractiveness has to come from value-added components.'
'It would be good if the farmers could actually supply the parent material but a lot of emphasis would have to be placed on quality and in that regard we would have to change our whole approach to farming and become more businesslike. I hope this will really happen in Jamaica because it is one of the areas that can make some change," he said.
Dr. Ferguson said that this year, a germplasm bank will be established from which planting material will be made available to facilitate expansion in production.
He said that Jamaica would be at an advantage in terms of neutraceutical production, based on the relationships existing with established markets. "This is an industry that will facilitate diversification while introducing an expansion of crops with a higher premium on earnings thus increasing the profit margin of stakeholders," he said.
The neutraceutical industry is presently worth US$1 billion worldwide with a 10-15 per cent growth rate annually. It is expected to be worth over US$200 worldwide by the year 2005. Presently, developing countries supply over 50 per cent of the existing markets.
