AgriLinkages Exchange unlocks $2B in tourism market for farmers

Almost $2 billion in sales has already flowed through Jamaica’s AgriLinkages Exchange (ALEx), highlighting the enormous market tourism creates for farmers and other local suppliers, says Dr Carey Wallace, executive director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

Wallace said the sheer level of consumption by tourists creates major opportunities for Caribbean producers, particularly as the region’s tourism sector continues to expand.

“Tourism comes with consumption. And the average tourist consumes more daily than the average resident,” Wallace said during a plenary discussion at Caribbean Week of Agriculture at Ocean Coral Spring in Trelawny today.

But he warned that farmers seeking to supply multinational hotel brands must be prepared to meet stringent requirements.

“They don't have the patience or time for delays or drought,” Wallace said.

Jamaica established ALEx to help small farmers overcome the challenge of supplying large hotels consistently.

Through the online platform, farmers list available crops and prices, while hotel purchasing managers can aggregate supplies from multiple producers

Wallace said ALEx, launched in 2018, has generated “almost $2 billion worth of sales” to date.

He also pointed to import substitution, including locally produced rum and Blue Mountain coffee, as opportunities to increase the share of tourism spending retained by Caribbean producers.

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