A few days ago, I visited one of my favourite projects, the Jamaica Agriculture Development Foundation (JADF). Most people have never heard of this project because it keeps a low profile.

The JADF was started in 1981 when I got, on behalf of government, a huge gift of butter and cheese from Land o' Lakes, a well-known dairy product company in Minnesota, a dairy-rich area in the United States of America. It was their way of helping us to make a quick start after the 1980 general election. The butter and cheese were to be sold and the proceeds invested in agriculture.

The JADF is run as a small private sector development institution, which has been pioneering new products or crops in agriculture, on a sometimes profitable basis.

Over the years, it has been involved in a few products of this type, like the solo papaya, cassava, peppers and mangoes.

Recently, however, it has been concentrating on two excellent products, which it has brought to reasonable commercial levels - West Indian Sea Island cotton and marine shrimps.

West Indian Sea Island cotton is a dream product. It can only be grown under a trade mark authorisation, which allows control of the acreage in cultivation in order to prevent over production and price erosion.

West Indian Sea Island cotton grows only in the West Indies, notably Barbados and Jamaica. A specific amount of acres is determined by the JADF for total production. The product is sold for a little over US$10 per lint pound, which is four times what the next best cotton, from Giza, Egypt, gets on the market. It is the best cotton in the world because of the long length of the fibre.

When the fibres are woven, the cotton produced is like a light cashmere. Needless to say items manufactured from Sea Island cotton are expensive and sold exclusively in high-end boutiques.

The JADF sells all the cotton it produces, but wants to expand its production to reduce the cost of production based on the economy of scale. It intends to double production. This will require some capital investment, however, which brings the JADF to the point of deciding whether to go fully commercial as an organisation or to sell the majority equity of the project to investors and who can carry on the product development on a fully commercial basis.

There is another phase which also needs to be probed because this is where the big profit is to be found. At present, the JADF produces the fibre which is woven into a fabric. But what about producing and designing high-end garments like polo shirts for the exclusive markets, which is what is done with the Jamaican cotton in Europe. This step needs investment from investors with marketing know-how for this kind of product in a niche market. This is an opportunity that should be developed here. The identity should not leave our shores because it is an original Jamaican product, the identity of which should be retained and "branded" as Jamaican.

A moderate industry could be developed by the right hands to grow, weave, design and manufacture one of the luxury fabrics of the world right here. The protection of the trade mark and growing regulations protect the price. What better deal could be required?

Marine shrimps, the other project, are being produced in protected salt water ponds. The entire product is readily sold here, mostly to the tourist industry.

Increasing production

Shrimps are in short supply on this side of the world. The market can take increased production which is what the JADF wants to do.

Here again, the question arises whether to plunge deeper into the commercial world or to sell the project, retaining some equity and move on the development of new products.

I would hope that the JADF could retain its development role as there are more products that we speak of or dream about which will never reach a true commercial level unless carefully developed to reach the market. Indeed, this is precisely what agriculture needs to enlarge the range of products which are grown so as to expand the market.

For instance, organic vegetables have been spoken of as good products which have a strong market and attract a premium price. But little has been done to move this product to a full commercial level instead of talking about how good it is.

It seems to me that someone has to take the first steps to pioneer the cultivation of organic vegetables on a feasible basis to get the support of new investors. This is most probably the kind of thing that the JADF could do.

I hope that among those who will read this brief presentation, some will contact the JADF to explore linkages that could release new entrepreneurial energy and encourage new development. This will be good for a modern focus on agriculture.

Edward Seaga is a former Prime Minister. He is now a distinguished fellow at the UWI. Email: odf@uwimona.edu.jm