Roger ClarkeBy Donna Ortega,
News Editor
PIMENTO is developing into an attractive export product for local farmers previously disenchanted with the returns from this labour-intensive industry.
This year's earnings from pimento berries and oil sales on the international market are likely to settle in the region of US$6.1 million, having risen from US$5.51 million three years ago. Japan, the USA, Canada and Germany are Jamaica's principal markets, but the USA is the largest at present.
Although there is severe competition from Mexico, Jamaica's pimento is regarded as superior in quality not only because of the quantity of its oil but due also to market preparation and composition.
Pimento, also known as allspice and used as a blender with other spices, is widely used for preservation particularly in 'jerking' meat and as a liqueur. Researchers have also discovered certain biological properties found in the pimento which could be used as an effective insecticide.
Pimento received favourable international market prices in 1999, facilitating an increase in the farm gate price to $92,593 per tonne. Earnings increased by 4.4 per cent over the previous year to US$5.8 million.
The last farmgate price was $110.23 per kilo but officials have declined to disclose the international prices. However, prospects are good for the industry since the demand for spice grows by four per cent per year.
It appears that the pimento farmer is now "king".
Crops are sold, even before they are reaped, to ready buyers.
"There is no credit and no promises in the pimento business," one source said. It is not uncommon for buyers to advance $1 million for a crop to farmers who then pump the funds into development of pure pimento stands. One acre may sustain about 60-75 trees and with each tree yielding about 20 pounds of berries a farmer may earn up to about $90,000 per acre.
Disillusioned by the returns, farmers were, up to a couple of years ago, picking about 35 per cent of the berries produced and cutting down their pimento trees. The operation is labour-intensive in nature and the high cost of reaping and drying as well as cleaning the berries was a turn-off. "Finding labour as well as labour costs are the biggest difficulties," said one source.
With the price almost tripling in as many years, farmers are only now beginning to realise the benefits of planting pimento and are recovering their interest in the crop since the price started rising towards the end of 1999.
A recent report showed the local price moving from $22 in 1998 to $52 per pound. Increased competition, as more exporters enter the market, at times pushes the price a bit higher for pimento farmers, though the Ministry of Agriculture gives the cue by announcing the price of pimento each year at the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) annual general meeting.
In 1999 Mexico suffered a setback when a flood destroyed its pimento trees. The result was greater demand on the international market for pimento.
It is not clear whether the domestic market has been affected by the export demand, but commercial manager for the JAS, Wayne Peart, said that more people are buying pimento as a result of great interest in spicy foods and jerk products. This was confirmed by Mr. Melbourne Richardson, general manager of the Ministry of Agriculture Pimento Export Division, who said that 350 tonnes of pimento is used locally and this creates a niche market for Jamaican spices.
Mr. Peart said that the Ministry of Agriculture has done its part towards developing the industry and providing seedlings at no cost. Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke made the commitment last year, after an assessment showed that not enough pimento was being produced, for a $170 million rehabilitation programme for the industry to be implemented.
Pimento production is a long-term investment for there is a seven-year wait for a tree to come into production.
The Export Division has started a programme of planting pimento seedlings for distribution to pimento oil extractors. More than 100,000 seedlings have been distributed in recent years to sustain the industry and to allo0af oil extractors to revert to the practice of using leaves that are left after reaping the berries.
He said that sufficient quantities of oil are being processed and marketed in a scientific manner at the Pimento Export Division to ensure there is consistency of supplies.
The oil, used in fish and meat preservation, perfumery and pharmaceutical products is less bulky, blends evenly and commands a higher price than the berries.
