COUNTDOWN TO DENBIGH - Caribbean agriculture officials to flock show this year
published: Monday | July 24, 2006
KINGSTON (CMC):
CARIBBEAN FARMING officials will trek to Jamaica early next month for the Denbigh Agricultural Show as they scout out opportunities for marketing their produce.
Organisers of the annual show say they have received confirmation of attendance from officials in Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Maarten for the August 5 to 7 event, set to take place at Denbigh, Clarendon.
Attendance requests have also come in from The Cayman Islands and Barbados, said Lawrence Madden, chief executive officer of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, hosts of the show.
Mr. Madden said the CARICOM Single Market, pressed into operation earlier this year, had ignited interest in regional players in the farming sector who are eyeing the Denbigh show as a marketplace to promote their goods.
He said the event also had the potential to bring increased investment and trade to the local economy.
But the appeal of Denbigh has extended beyond the Caribbean, with interests in North America and Europe also clamouring to participate in the show.
"We have had serious enquiries from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands, and the list is expected to increase," Mr. Madden said. "We are unsure of the role that the international countries will play this year, as we are still awaiting details of their objectives."
Business leaders across Jamaican communities in these countries have displayed interest in the show, viewing it as a fillip to their 'Eat Jamaican' campaign. The JAS CEO said they saw the show as an economic venture and an opportunity to vacation in Jamaica.
This is the 54th staging of the agricultural show.
