Plantains and ackees are among the new items that can now be imported directly from Jamaica to the Cayman Islands.
In a statement over the weekend, the ministry announced a new import/export arrangement with Jamaica, effective 23 May, which broadens the list of agricultural produce approved for import here.
“With the ongoing and increasing threats to global food supplies from climate change to the war in Europe, expanding intra-regional trade within the Caribbean is critical to our food security and economic stability,” Agriculture Minister Jay Ebanks said in a statement.
The produce added to the list are plantain, breadfruit, soursop as well as blanched and frozen ackees.
Minister Ebanks recently visited Jamaica and held bilateral meetings with his counterpart there in an effort to strengthen local food security.
Ebanks, through the statement, pointed out that the new import export arrangement will give the Cayman Islands direct access to high quality and fresh produce from Jamaica.
“The demand for some of these newly added produce have exceeded what we grow locally. Until sufficient supply is produced locally, Jamaica offers a good alternative as it is closer than other countries from which we import similar items. In the meantime, we will continue to provide our farmers with the resources needed to strengthen their resilience to boost the Islands food and nutrition security,” he explained.
The imports will be subject to specific conditions. All exporters from Jamaica must have a valid permits from Cayman’s Department of Agriculture to Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Plant Quarantine.
The produce must be sourced from farms registered and certified by Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
“All commodities intended for entry into the Cayman Islands must be inspected and certified to be of good quality, clean, free of pests, soil and foreign matter by authorised officers from Jamaica’s Produce Inspection Division at approved packing houses or at designated export complex,” the statement added.
Additionally, consignments must be accompanied by a valid phytosanitary certificate that is issued and signed by an officer of the National Plant Protection Organisation of Jamaica and are subject to inspection on arrival by officers in the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Health Inspection Services Unit, the statement added.
“The Cayman Islands and Jamaica have a long standing trading relationship spanning over 20 years, facilitating the export of agricultural commodities from Jamaica to the Cayman Islands in accordance with international standards,” the statement added.
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