Jamaica imports $5 in food for every $1 in agricultural exports, Campbell says

Dr Dayton Campbell has warned that Jamaica’s agriculture and fisheries sectors remain under severe pressure, arguing that rising food imports and falling agricultural exports show the country is still too dependent on overseas supplies.

Speaking in Parliament, Campbell said agriculture and fisheries should not be treated as secondary concerns or discussed only when a crisis emerges. He acknowledged that work has been done in the sectors and paid tribute to farmers, fishers, extension officers, technical workers and rural communities. However, he said the key test is whether government policy has meaningfully improved the lives of those who rely on agriculture and fisheries.

Campbell said the available numbers point to serious weaknesses. He stated that Jamaica’s food import bill stood at about US$1.46 billion in 2025, while noting that another member had referred to a figure of US$2 billion. He said that when the Government took office in 2016, the bill was about US$834 million, roughly half of the current level.

He also said agricultural exports moved in the wrong direction, declining from approximately US$288 million in 2024 to US$278 million in 2025. On that basis, Campbell argued, Jamaica is now bringing in about US$5 worth of food for every US$1 earned from agricultural exports.

Campbell said the figures should trouble policymakers, given Jamaica’s fertile land, agricultural history and the efforts of thousands of farmers. He argued that public praise for the sector means little if import costs keep climbing while export earnings fall.

He said Jamaica’s reliance on imported food and agricultural inputs leaves the country vulnerable to global price shocks, supply chain disruptions, currency pressure and international events, including the Iran-Israel conflict. Campbell called for the Government to identify products that can be grown or substituted locally and to expand domestic production through targeted policies.

Among the areas he highlighted were local feed production and support for crops such as cassava, sweet potato, breadfruit, onions, Irish potato and sorghum, along with incentives for farmers producing priority commodities.