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peterkin

cummings

Western hoteliers concerned about local produce

Sheena Gayle, Hospitality Writer

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.

He said that "the work they do is very labour intensive and this makes the process very inefficient. They (farmers) need a tractor to help with the ploughing; in addition, they need a proper irrigation system to assist during the drought periods".

suggestions

Nevertheless, the former Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) president suggested that farmers do proper forecasting, coupled with more scientific research on the types of crop they are producing and establish a plant schedule in an effort to improve consistency.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Wayne Cummings, president of the JHTA, who said farmers "needed to do their homework and maintain a list of the suppliers".

With the widely advertised campaign by the Ministry of Agriculture to 'Eat What We Grow and Grow What We Eat', Cummings said farmers needed to engage the hotels to help themselves identify markets that they can tap into.

Meanwhile, he argued that the Government also needed to play its role in ensuring that hoteliers do not experience a food shortage in the event of a natural disaster.

"Policies need to be in place to identify which geographical location is at risk for a hurricane, for example, and find suitable alternatives for farmers to farm during that period," he said.

This, he believes, will ensure a continued supply of goods to hoteliers but would require a collaborative effort from both the farmers and the Agriculture Ministry.