VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKG #0450/01 1411452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY AD94F5CF MSI7716-695)
P 201452Z MAY 08 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6353
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO 5941

UNCLAS KINGSTON 000450 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY - SANTO DOMINGO ADDED 
 
DEPARTMENT PASS EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE FOR INFO 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR (JTILGHMAN) (VDEPIRRO) 
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/ABT/ATP (JANET SPECK) 
USDA/FAS FOR (CLAY HAMILTON) (JAMES T. DAVIS) 
USDA/FAS FOR FAA AREA OFFICER (JBAILEY) 
 
SANTO DOMINGO FOR FCS AND FAS 
TREASURY FOR SARA GRAY 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAGR SENV ECON ETRD SOCI PREL EAID ENRG JM
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: AGRICULTURE MINISTER ADDRESSES FOOD SECURITY AND 
U.S. PORK IMPORTS 
 
REF: A. 07 KINGSTON 1684 
 
¶B. KINGSTON 366 
¶C. KINGSTON 354 
¶D. KINGSTON 111 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Ambassador met with Minister of Agriculture Dr. Christopher 
Tufton on May 19 to discuss Jamaica's continuing priorities in light 
of the current food security issues and to advocate measures to 
liberalize pork trade with the United States.  Tufton said he would 
consider sending two veterinary officials to visit a U.S. pork 
process plant to assess the production, surveillance and veterinary 
certification process; a step required to eventually reopen the 
Jamaican market to U.S. pork products.  Tufton said his three 
priorities were to: 
a) boost local agriculture production levels in the short-term; 
b) build capacity on the island by upgrading the Bodles Agriculture 
Research facility and; 
c) modernize his Ministry to be able to more effectively help end 
users in the agriculture sector. 
Tufton expressed concern that high oil prices have hurt Jamaica's 
agriculture industry, raising transportation costs and making 
agriculture inputs such as fertilizer more expensive.  End Summary 
 
Expanding Local Production 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Tufton said the banana and coffee sector is starting to 
"bounce back" from the damage caused by Hurricane Dean in 2007.  He 
said the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) is working with the World Bank 
to conduct a study on a "pyramid style insurance model" that would 
deal with risk of hurricanes and other natural disasters.  He said 
he hopes this project eventually will be funded by the 
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).  He emphasized that his 
short-term focus will be on boosting local production levels, 
including short-term incentives for production of alternative 
starches, in response to the current food crises in Jamaica.  He is 
working with Jamaica Broilers and Mussons (Jamaica's largest rice 
importer) to invest in more rice production.  Tufton said Jamaica 
consumes 100,000 tons of rice per year, and he wants to be able to 
supply 20-25 percent of local consumption. 
 
U.S. Pork Imports 
----------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Regional U.S. agriculture attach Jamie Rothschild raised 
the issue of reopening the Jamaican market to U.S. pork products. 
COMMENT: The USG through the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) has 
been trying to open the Jamaican market to U.S. pork products for 
the past few years.  The initial ban was related to pseudorabies/ 
Ajueszky's (AD) disease in the U.S., which was eradicated in 
commercial herds in late 2004.  Pork products are allowed in from 
Canada, the USG would like to give U.S. pork producers the same 
market opportunity and level the playing field for North American 
pork products (See SEPTEL from FAS Santo Domingo). It appears the 
next step is for Tufton to authorize two Jamaican veterinary 
officials to visit a U.S. pork processing operation to assess 
production, surveillance, monitoring, and the veterinary 
certification process.  FAS has offered to pay the travel costs for 
the two veterinary officials to the U.S. Rothschild pointed out to 
Tufton that many of the cuts of meat that were needed in Jamaica's 
hotels could be sourced from the U.S. market.  Tufton said he would 
look at the idea of sending the two veterinary officials to the U.S. 
 Once the veterinary officials provide their findings to the 
Ministry of Agriculture Post will update accordingly. 
 
Sensitive to Local Capacity to Compete 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) In light of opening itself to more liberalized trade, 
Tufton said his country faces the challenge of whether the local 
producers have the capacity to compete: "we have to be sensitive to 
the realities." He explained, "the Jamaican dairy sector liberalized 
years ago and 500 farmers were wiped out."  He said Jamaicans bought 
milk from the European Union (EU), but now as demand and prices have 
climbed Jamaica is experiencing milk shortages and has lost most of 
its local suppliers.  Tufton lamented, "we are now trying to rebuild 
our local dairy sector."  Tufton added that "the GOJ has to be sharp 
 
 
on its approach to policy--so our policy has to look inward, to give 
our own farmers a level playing field."  Tufton compared his 
situation to the U.S., which is focusing on corn-based ethanol 
production.  Tufton added, "the U.S. has security reasons for not 
wanting to rely on foreign oil, that is why they are focusing on 
using corn based ethanol, this is the U.S. protecting its own 
internal interests and is understandable." But, the decision can 
create impacts in other countries such as higher costs for feed 
corn," he added. 
 
Oil and Fertilizer 
------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Tufton complained that rising oil prices continue to raise 
costs of agriculture production.  He said the price of inputs such 
as fertilizer had climbed, making it more difficult to increase 
production.  The GOJ had been providing a subsidy on fertilizer, but 
this had ended; it now sought reduced prices of fertilizer from 
Venezuela.  He said many of the small farmers use potash, and he is 
hoping to secure some assistance from Canada for this.  According to 
Tufton, Canada has offered USD 5 million in agriculture assistance, 
some of these funds will be used to help fisheries and to address 
issues such as over fishing and dynamite fishing. 
 
Greenhouses Remain A Focus 
-------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Tufton reiterated his desire to build greenhouse "clusters" 
co-located with agribusiness packaging and marketing facilities to 
transform the agriculture sector and to supply the local tourist 
hotels.  He said greenhouses are good for five or six key crops like 
tomatoes, but other traditional crops such as yams, watermelons, and 
cantaloupes do not need greenhouses.  Tufton said he still wants to 
use his concept of clusters to help farmers find a market for these 
traditional crops. He said his first greenhouse cluster will be 
managed by agri-business firm GraceKennedy in the parish of St. 
Catherine.  He said that Grace Kennedy also is providing the 
services of a marketing person to assist the Ministry in agriculture 
marketing.  Tufton also said he has contracted to have a U.S. 
agriculture marketing expert come to Jamaica in June to work in his 
Ministry for the next year.  COMMENT: A representative from the 
Spanish Embassy told Econoff that Spain is providing USD 7.8 million 
to help implement the greenhouses, but the project is moving slowly 
because of political wrangling over where the greenhouses would be 
located on the island. End Comment. 
 
JOHNSON