Chili farmers take part in training series – Jamaica Information Services

72 chili farmers participated in a recently concluded series of agricultural and insurance product capacity training activities as part of the project “Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access Opportunities in the Jamaican Chili Value Chain”.

The training series, led by the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), runs from June 11 to July 30 and includes farmers from St. Ann, St. Mary, St. Catherine, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth.

The series includes 15 sessions focusing on entrepreneurial thinking, strategic planning, financial management and business registration.

Kareem Bent, training coordinator for JBDC, noted at the end of the St. Ann session that the sessions were a learning experience for both participants and facilitators.

“The five-week chilli value chain programme has been fantastic. We have learnt a lot from the participants, and the participants have learnt a lot from us, and we are always proud to be able to provide such a rich and interactive way of business training to the participants,” he said.

He further encouraged the participants to continue to accumulate new knowledge as they progress in their respective fields.

“We want them (participants) to know that learning is ongoing and anything we share with them is practical and applicable to their business,” Mr Bent added.

Sonnier Wilson-Graham, project manager for the “Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access Opportunities in the Jamaican Pepper Value Chain” project, noted that in keeping with the project’s value chain approach, a focus was placed on helping farmers build capacity to manage income from their crops.

“Also, to make sure that whatever insurance products exist, you also need to be mindful of what you need to do on the farm on a daily basis right now to be able to qualify for some of the financial products that are available,” she said.

The project, “Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access Opportunities in the Jamaican Chili Pepper Value Chain”, is funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Jamaica Bureau of Standards and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.