Jamaican Bananas Get a European Boost

Jamaican Deputy Governor-General Steadman Fuller is praising the support the European Union has given the Jamaican banana industry, calling it an important catalyst for economic activity in the agricultural sector.

“The European Union-funded Banana Support Programme is an indication of resilience and commitment to an industry that has demonstrated its ability to survive major changes and overcome even some of the most significant challenges,” Fuller said at the launch of another segment of the Banana Board/European Union Banana Support Programme yesterday in Clarendon.

The initiative calls for EU support for extension services, the establishment of nurseries in selected areas of the island and the promotion of other agricultural crops in areas that have suffered from declined banana output.

“The banana trade became the most important economic activity in the post-Emancipation era, and would later develop even further,” Fuller said. “Many industries have been spawned as a result of the banana trade. These include tourism and food processing.”

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Robert Montague called the EU’s support a timely investment at a critical time.

“In going forward, the development of nurseries in strategic locations across the island to make available to our famers improved varieties is a commendable effort,” Montague said.

–Jamaica Information Service