KINGSTON, Jamaica – Government is moving to give local farmers first preference in supplying the tourism sector as it seeks to strengthen domestic participation in the industry and reduce reliance on imported food.
The initiative forms part of the Tourism Ministry’s Tourism 3.0 development framework, which seeks to strengthen linkages and build capacity across local industries.
The framework comes as Jamaica targets 10 million visitors and US$10 billion in tourism earnings over the next decade.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Tova Hamilton, said the strategy is intended to turn demand from the tourism industry into a more reliable market for local farmers through long-term commercial contracts.
“This will reduce the country’s dependence on imported food and keep more tourism-generated income within rural communities,” she said.
“Locally grown produce from Jamaican farmers must always be the first choice for hotels, resorts and restaurants,” Hamilton added.
She said systematically shifting resort purchasing towards domestic production could help drive agricultural investment, rural employment and greater food independence.
Hamilton was speaking at the 10th International Food Security and Sovereignty Conference at Sandals Dunn’s River in Mammee Bay, St Ann.
The two-day conference was hosted by the Food Hygiene Bureau under the theme, “Building Resilience in Food Systems: Enhancing Food Security and Sovereignty”.
Hamilton highlighted initiatives already being implemented to strengthen links between local farmers and the tourism industry, particularly through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and its Tourism Linkages Network.
A key initiative is the Agricultural Linkages Exchange (ALEX), a digital platform developed in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining to connect farmers directly with purchasing managers in the hospitality sector.
Hamilton said ALEX currently connects more than 2,000 local farmers with commercial resort kitchens.
According to the minister, the platform facilitated the supply of nearly three million kilograms of local produce in 2024 and generated more than 400 million in sales.
She said the momentum continued into 2025, reporting that the portal generated more than US$100 million during the first four months of the year.
The Government’s approach is aimed at increasing opportunities for local producers to supply the tourism industry while strengthening linkages between tourism and agriculture.
