Scallion glut leaves farmers in limbo

Life for 52-year-old Sherine Morgan now finds her sitting on her verandah, gazing out at her field of scallion as she clings to hope that her season was not wasted, but instead marks what she describes as a breakthrough.

"Mi just hope someone call for them because there is nothing else I can do, nothing at all," she told THE STAR.

Morgan, a resident of New Forest, Manchester, said the issue is not unique to her but widespread among scallion farmers in the area.

From her home, Morgan looks out at approximately 3,000 pounds of scallion, hoping that help comes soon, and, most importantly, on time.

"I don't sell any out of it as yet, I don't know what is the problem," she said. "A wul heap a scallion plant and the market not there for it, but I usually supply to the factory," she said, noting that she has exhausted efforts to sell on the local market.

Morgan shared that most of her crops would have been sold directly to Grace Agro Processors, a division of GraceKennedy Foods and Services Limited. However, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, a surplus of scallion has led to a slowdown in purchasing by key stakeholders.

For Morgan, who has been farming primarily scallion for more than five years, that revelation is a body blow.

"Right now mi nuh know mi bed head from bed foot," she lamented.

Still, she hopes help comes within the next two weeks before her produce begins to spoil.

According to the agriculture ministry, the Government has engaged Grace Agro Processors and Walkerswood Caribbean Foods Limited in discussions aimed at re-establishing stronger purchasing arrangements and supporting the continued participation of local farmers within established supply chains.

Additionally, the ministry said it has also engaged the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association as well as the Jamaica Agro-Processors Association for rapid uptake of available volumes by their respective membership.

"Thus far, the response has been positive, and it is anticipated that increased uptake will begin in the coming week," the Floyd Green led ministry said.

Morgan told THE STAR that she is encouraged by the development. She is hoping and praying that the discussions bear fruit, and that buyers arrive before her crops go bad. If not, she has already prepared herself to start over.

"If I don't get help, I am just going to pull them and let them come back up. Mi have to go back in because there is nothing else here to do," she told THE STAR.

Yvette Wellington, who earns a living by trimming scallion before they are processed, said the slowdown has significantly reduced her earnings.

"Them plant directly to supply the factory and once the factory can't take it, you have problems like this. I used to work five times. Now, I only work one time out of the week, and make like $5,000," she said.

"That's not enough, this is a big setback," she lamented.