Jamaica to increase onion imports as local season ends

Ministry of Agriculture is preparing to source onions from international market, as the major domestic onion season comes to an end and local stocks begin to decline.

Commenting on the situation, portfolio minister, Floyd Green explains, “once the onion season comes to an end, and we are winding up now, we will then look to external supplies, and then that will bring down some of the price until we go into our next onion season. But again, I think consumers appreciate that they went through a period earlier this year of significant oversupply, very low prices, and now there’s a sort of levelling out.”

Continuing, Green further explains that this situation is being seen across multiple crop lines. Large, or jumbo, onions have become more widely available in supermarkets in recent weeks. 

Earlier this year, the market experienced an oversupply after production increased following Hurricane Melissa, resulting in farmer complaints about financial losses, with the Agriculture Minister saying the current situation reflects normal supply cycles within the sector.

The Agriculture Ministry is also planning to establish onion drying facilities in major production areas. According to Minister Green, the facilities would allow onions to be stored and distributed over a longer period, helping to manage supply between production seasons.

For him, the objective is “ultimately, we will not have an oversupply because we would store and distribute over the period so that the price will be more moderate and will be more consistent”.