State Minister in the Ministry of Tourism, Hon. Tova Hamilton, is calling on hoteliers, farmers and policymakers to embrace tourism as the agricultural sector’s most valuable and strategic business partner.

She urged the industry to increase the use of Jamaican-grown produce in meals served to visiting tourists.

Ms. Hamilton was speaking on the second day of the 10th International Food Security and Sovereignty Conference, held at Sandals Dunn’s River in Mammee Bay, St. Ann, on Thursday (September 10).

The event was held by the Food Hygiene Bureau (FHB) under the theme – ‘Building Resilience in Food Systems: Enhancing Food Security and Sovereignty’.

Ms. Hamilton outlined three specific commitments for hoteliers, agricultural producers, policy leaders and conference delegates to embrace going forward.

The first is the expanded use of digital supply networks, such as the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX), to streamline direct procurement between the hospitality sector and local producers.

The State Minister’s second recommendation is for hotels and other tourism interests to enter into forward procurement contracts with local agricultural cooperatives, giving farmers the financial certainty to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure.

Ms. Hamilton also called for greater integration of Jamaica’s food heritage into hotel and resort menus.

“When the next visitor sits down to breakfast in Jamaica, let more of that meal come from a Jamaican farm… let more of its value reach a Jamaican family. Let the meal be memorable, and let the prosperity stay,” Ms. Hamilton said.

In the meantime, Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Dr. Carey Wallace, noted that ALEX was created to address logistical challenges by enabling farmers across Jamaica to list produce that is ready for sale on an online platform.

He indicated that hotel purchasing managers can then combine supplies from multiple farmers to meet large orders, instead of requiring dozens of farmers to deliver their produce separately.

Dr. Wallace noted that the system allows more small farmers to benefit from the tourism market while helping hotels obtain the volumes and quality of produce required.

He added that the platform is also intended to help farmers secure fair prices for their produce while enabling the Government to bridge the gap between small-scale agricultural production and the large-scale purchasing needs of the hospitality sector.