The Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA) in partnership with Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) has embarked on a coffee Farmer Registration and Tracking System (FRATS) aimed at registering all coffee farms and farmers. The JCEA is in full support of the coffee farmers registration programme as it is very important for the strategic repositioning and development of the Jamaica Coffee Industry.
The coffee registration will help to:
- Manage Praedial Larceny.
- Develop an Insurance Programme for coffee farmers.
- Enhance the development and expansion of the Jamaica Coffee Industry through increase production and productivity.
- Assist in the planning and administrating of farmers support programmes.
JACRA has indicated that all coffee farmers must be registered by July 31, 2019 in order to sell cherry coffee to the processors on August 1, which marks the start of the new crop year 19/20. To date, approximately seventy (70) percent of the coffee farmers have been registered.
The JCEA is appealing to the over seven thousand (7000) coffee suppliers in the Jamaica Blue Mountain and non- Blue Mountain areas to ensure that their have your farms registered before the deadline. If you are not already a registered coffee farmer we encourage you to contact JACRA or any of the member companies of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association.
The JCEA applauds JACRA and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF) for resuming the distribution of fertilizer under MICAF Fertilizer Assistance, Supplies and Training (FAST) (2017) Programme – Phase 2, which was launched almost two (2) years ago at an estimated value of Eighty ($80) Million Dollars.
Yours faithfully,
Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association
Norman Washington Grant OD, JP
Chairman
Email: ngrant@mbcfcoffee.com
