The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) says that if a quick solution is not found for the frequent increases in fertiliser prices, the sector will fall into bankruptcy.

Norman Grant, president of JAS, said on Monday that if the situation is not swiftly brought under control, farmers will have to transfer this "astronomical" price increase to consumers.

Mr. Grant told The Gleaner that the hike in fertiliser prices, which increased for the fourth time in about 12 months last week, has severely affected the sector as many farmers have stopped using the product.

"The farmers need help and need help quickly. A lot of farmers not fertilising at the level and rate they normally fertilise," Mr. Grant said. "If a quick solution is not found, the price of basic food will increase and it could have another implication where the importers now look to import more produce to meet the demand."

At the same time, since the passage of Hurricane Dean last month, there has been a jump in prices of ground provisions at markets islandwide. It currently costs approximately $2,500 for a bag (110 pounds) of fertiliser at Newport-Fersan, the sole local manufacturer of the product.

Daily complaints

Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, said farmers complain daily about the increase in fertiliser prices.

"Every day, farmers cry about it. They say what they sell their thing (produce) for they can't adjust to the constant increase so they are clearly absorbing all those costs," Mr. Stanberry said.

The permanent secretary said the sector would know today if there will be an amicable arrangement regarding the price of fertiliser, as Newport-Fersan is expected to make an announcement based on discussions last week between the manufacturer and Agriculture Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton.

At the time, Mr. Grant said the ministry should aggressively pursue sourcing fertiliser directly from manufactures out of Venezuela.

"The way it is now, there are so many players involved that the farmer suffers because it gets to them after about three or four handlers," he said.

In the short term, Mr. Grant said the government should provide a subsidy on fertiliser prices for the farmers in order to underwrite a percentage of the increase to Newport-Fersan, ensuring the cost to the farmers is cheaper.