Dr. Norman Scott
President of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association and Managing Director of the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, Dr. Norman Grant, is warning that the coffee industry faces massive job losses unless urgent government support is provided.
Speaking on Radio Jamaica's Real Business on Tuesday, Dr. Grant said, coffee production is projected to fall to a 35-year low of just 155,000 boxes this year, down from 225,000 boxes in 2024 and 288,000 in 2023.
He said the decline has already resulted in losses of some $1.5 billion for the industry's 5,000 farmers.
Dr. Grant also noted that the average weight of a box of coffee has fallen from 9 pounds to 8 pounds due to adverse weather, deteriorating infrastructure and other environmental challenges affecting the sector.
According to Dr. Grant, that reduction has translated into an additional $2.5 billion in losses for coffee farmers.
He has again called for the government to provide the $350 million annually requested under the Crop Restoration and Expansion Programme, which he says the industry has been seeking for the last five years.
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