"There are good days ahead for bananas," said Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, Derrick Kellier, as he commended exporters for their efforts in seeking out markets for the export of Jamaican bananas.

Kellier was speaking at the Agricultural Marketing Complex in Kingston after viewing the packaging of bananas to be exported to the United Kingdom last Friday.

This shipment of 4,068 kilograms of bananas to Ashanti Imports is the first major export to the UK by container since 2008 and follows the resumption of exports to the UK in June 2014. Prior to this, bananas were being exported by air freight on a weekly basis. The resumption comes six years after the cessation of exports to Britain following the devastating effects of several hurricanes on the sector and changes in the preferential agreement with the UK.

resuscitation

Minister Kellier said he is looking forward to the resuscitation of the banana industry in Jamaica, which was once the mainstay within the agricultural sector, along with sugar, coffee and cocoa. "We have a direct thrust to resuscitate banana with the support of the European Union under the Jamaica Banana Accompanying Measures Programme," he stated.

According to Janet Conie, general manager at the Banana Board, "There is a great demand for our fruit not only in the UK but in the diaspora in Canada and the United States. We even have a demand in the Caribbean."

Jamaica exported 210,000 tonnes of bananas in 2014.