Western hoteliers concerned about local produce

Inconsistent supplies of agricultural products and the exorbitant prices from local farmers are the driving factors which have hoteliers in western Jamaica concerned about continuing to do business with these farmers.

Horace Peterkin, general manager for the Sandals Montego Bay Resort, revealed that "most of our products are supplied through local farmers, but while the local food items taste better, sometimes when I go to purchase some of these items, they are priced at 10-40 per cent above market price".

This, he admitted, is driven by a number of factors that the farmers face with their crop production. Infrastructure, Peterkin explained, has played an influential role in the farmers' ability to sustain a consistent supply to the hoteliers........read more