JADF signs grant agreement with Japan to revive its sea-island cotton industry

The Japanese government to revitalize the West Indian sea-island cotton industry in Jamaica for which it has decided to pump funds into Jamaica’s Sea Island cotton production through an arrangement with the Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation (JADF).

The Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation (JADF) has signed an $11 million grant agreement with the Japanese government which took place Tuesday (February 18) at the offices of the Jamaica Exporters’ Association (JEA), on Winchester Avenue in Kingston. This also marked the commemoration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and Japan.

According to the JADF demand for the West Indian Sea Island Cctton is high as it has several world-recognised competitive advantages.
Speaking at the ceremony, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Roger Clarke commended the JADF for spearheading the development of the sea-island cotton industry, and the partnership with the Japanese government.

Clarke said that sea-island cotton, due to its superior quality, is one of the crops which gives the region its distinct competitive edge. Efforts to grow it elsewhere in the world have not resulted in the kind of quality achieved when it is grown in this region.

There is hardly any competition from other countries when it comes to producing this cotton…it does not spoil but adds value to the primary product, it fetches a high price, and is not known to have suffered from any act of praedial larceny, Clarke said that the return on investment in sea-island cotton is more than 30 per cent.

The sea-island cotton industry can create 15,000 new jobs, and earn close to $1 billion in foreign exchange.

As per JADF, Japan is the main market at this time for the Sea Island cotton which commands a premium price as the world’s highest quality cotton. The crop is grown by a few islands in the West Indies including Jamaica.

Recent Posts

Swisstulle advances dyeing efficiency with JigMaster

Swisstulle adopted JigMaster for its dyeing and finishing operations, especially for high-quality technical textiles used in fashion and automotive industries.

3 days ago

Birla Cellulose and Circ partner to scale textile recycling

Birla Cellulose, a leader under the Aditya Birla Group, has announced a long-term partnership with Circ, a U.S.-based textile recycling…

3 days ago

CARBIOS unveils enzymatically recycled polyester t-shirt

CARBIOS has collaborated with leading brands Patagonia, PUMA, Salomon etc. to create a groundbreaking polyester garment made entirely from textile…

3 days ago

Yangi launches sustainable fiber-based food tray

Yangi, renowned for its renewable packaging solutions, has launched a fiber-based food tray as a sustainable alternative to plastic trays…

3 days ago

Tarpaulife Project develops alternative to PVC-coated fabrics

The European Tarpaulife Project is working on polyolefin-coated fabrics, such as polyethylene, that can be manufactured to compete with PVC-coated…

3 days ago

Better Cotton to standardise measurements for cotton production

Better Cotton has joined the global non-profit alliance, Cascale, in a three-year project aimed at standardising LCA methods across the…

3 days ago