Local farmers to get first choice in supplying tourism sector

The Government is ensuring that local farmers have first preference in supplying the tourism sector as the country targets 10 million visitors and US$10 billion (approximately J$1.6 trillion) in tourism earnings over the next decade.

The move is in keeping with the tourism ministry’s Tourism 3.0 development framework, which is aimed at strengthening linkages and building capacity across local industries to ensure that more Jamaicans participate directly in the tourism value chain. Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Tova Hamilton, said the strategy is intended to turn the steady demand from the industry into a reliable market for farmers through long-term commercial contracts. This will reduce the country’s dependence on imported food and keep more tourism-generated income within rural communities, she noted.

“Locally grown produce from Jamaican farmers must always be the first choice for hotels, resorts and restaurants,” she said.

“By systematically shifting resort purchasing towards domestic production, we convert tourism demand into an engine for local agricultural investment, rural employment and national food independence,” she added.

Hamilton was speaking at the 10th International Food Security and Sovereignty Conference at Sandals Dunn’s River in Mammee Bay, St Ann last week. The two-day event was hosted by the Food Hygiene Bureau under the theme: ‘Building Resilience in Food Systems: Enhancing Food Security and Sovereignty’.

Hamilton highlighted initiatives already in place to strengthen the relationship between local farmers and the tourism industry, particularly through the Tourism Enhancement Fund and its Tourism Linkages Network. At the centre of those efforts is the Agricultural Linkages Exchange (ALEX), a digital platform developed in partnership with the agriculture ministry to connect farmers directly with purchasing managers in the hospitality sector.

“ALEX currently connects over 2,000 local farmers directly with commercial resort kitchens and, in 2024, the platform facilitated the supply of close to three million kilograms of local produce,” Hamilton said, estimating that in the first four months of 2025 alone, the portal generated more than US$100 million (approximately J$15.6 billion).