Jamaica Producers Group (JP) has announced that its two Jamaican banana estates have been awarded EurepGAP status for good environmental and food safety standards.
The farms are the first in Jamaica to achieve certification, highlighting said JP, the company’s continuing leadership in Jamaican agriculture. JP’s Eastern Banana Estates and St Mary Banana Estates were the first agricultural entities to obtain ISO 14001 certification for their environmental standards programmes.
The two farms have also implemented a state-of-the-art traceability system, detailing specific locations for planting, harvesting and packing of each box of bananas produced, as well as identifying the staff involved and chemical treatments used.
JP has established a full-time quality and environmental control department that has spearheaded a recycling programme for plastic materials, chemical containers and boxes used in farms, alongside water resource management systems to guarantee proper extraction and usage of water and prevention of sub-soil and surface water contamination.
All of Jamaica’s banana exports go to the European Union and JP accounts for the largest share. A statement from JP said: “The attainment of EurepGAP allows JP to join the list of preferred suppliers to the EU. It is anticipated that by the end of the year all leading supermarkets in the EU will require EurepGAP certification of all major suppliers.”
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