Agro Processing Strategy

6i n d u s t r y sec t o r strategyvision maintains the industry’s focus onexport competitiveness.Strategic ObjectivesThe goal for the sector is to increaseoutput and export value by increasingproduction of current products andwidening the product line by developingnew products. Specific strategicobjectives are:• To increase exports by 15% eachyear by improving access tooverseas buyers;• To introduce 5 new products byyear 2012 to the export market;• 60% of the industry has adoptedfull global best practices in order toachieve improved efficiencies andimprove productivity;• To improve JAPA so that it is avibrant association driving thesector’s development policies andprogrammes.Where Are We Now?An AssessmentExport Performance andAssessment of OverallCompetitivenessAgro-processing is a viable componentof the non-traditional export category.Processed foods are the most importantelements of this product group. Thecomprehensive summary below includespoultry meat, sauces and juices.In 2006, processed food exportsincreased by 41.3% to USD71.6; largelyattributable to demand for naturalbeverages in the USA. 3 In addition tojuices, the sauces product group is amajor non-traditional export. In 2006,sauces exports valued US$8.8m. Thisrepresented an 11% increase over theprevious year’s exports.Table 1: Total Exports Processed Foods Sector 2002 – 2006 (USD‘000s)2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Annual GrowthRate (1)2002-200642,790.8 47,280.9 49,408.2 50,669.8 71,599.7 13.73%3Economic and Statistical Survey of Jamaica 2006 (Planning Institute of Jamaica, 2007).