FAO Kicks Off National Strategy for Ginger Under FAO-Led OCOP Initiative in Jamaica

Jamaica has officially launched the implementation of the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative with a national workshop aimed at revitalizing the country’s ginger industry. The launch and kick-off meeting, held at Medallion Hall Hotel in Kingston on July 10, was conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining and the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA).

The OCOP is a global initiative introduced by the FAO in 2021. It is designed to assist countries to help countries sustainably develop Special Agricultural Products (SAPs), crops and commodities with high potential for food security, nutrition, livelihoods, and cultural value. Jamaica is one of 11 countries globally selected for implementation, with ginger as its chosen SAP.

The workshop brought together government agencies, researchers, farmers and private sector representatives to review findings from work done on ginger in Jamaica over the past decade and inform the development of a National Ginger Strategy and Action Plan and the Formation of the National Task Force on Ginger which will be facilitated by JACRA and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture(IICA). The strategy will tackle major barriers to growth, including disease management, access to clean planting material, marketing, better coordination along the value chain, finance and the enabling environment.

FAO Representative Dr. Ana Touza emphasized the initiative’s farmer-focused approach. “This initiative is about building stronger value chains, ensuring that farmers have the tools and knowledge that they need and bringing government, research, the private sector, other international organizations and farmers to the same table with a shared plan.”

Representing the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Ian Chambers emphasized both the challenges and recent progress in the sector. “Over the past decade or so, we have seen a drastic reduction in the production and output of ginger, mainly because of the onset of the rhizome rot disease and to some extent, due to our farming systems and cultural practices. Ginger is one of our focus crops, and significant emphasis is being placed on improving production and productivity. We are grateful for this partnership under the FAO initiative, which will help us move this work forward.”

Acting Director General of JACRA, Wayne Hunter, also underscored the importance of scaling up production and adding value. “Although the industry faces steep declines due to disease and underinvestment, rising global demand for high-quality organic ginger offers a potential path to recovery. Scaling up production, improving disease management, and developing value-added products will be key to the long-term sustainability of the sector.”

Ginger is grown across several parishes in Jamaica and is internationally recognized for its rich flavour and aroma, particularly from varieties such as Jamaica Yellow, Jamaica Native, Jamaica Blue, and Hawaiian Chinese. Despite this strong potential, the industry has faced challenges such as rhizome rot disease, limited clean planting material, and weak coordination across the value chain.

The OCOP initiative aims to address these challenges by strengthening stakeholder collaboration, improving disease management, and supporting sustainable production and market access. Activities under the project will include farmer training, policy support, value chain analysis and the development of a comprehensive National Ginger Sector Strategy and Action Plan.