Whereas consumers in Guyana can rely on an all-year-round supply of citrus fruit at prices that tend to be vulnerable to adjustments that trigger sharp cuts in consumer purchases,, other countries, some of them here in the Caribbean, must, periodically, face much heftier price hikes that can create seasonal separation of consumers from what, in a number of instances, are their favourite fruits.
Earlier this week the Jamaica Gleaner (Monday February 17) was reporting on the fact that citrus fruit in the CARICOM member country were fetching what it described as “record prices” arising out of what the report said was due to a “severe shortage locally and across the globe, caused by both disease and climate events.”
The Gleaner reported that there is, currently, “a high demand for seedlings from persons seeking to establish small plots.” In response, the Jamaican government, through its Ministry of Agriculture, is rolling out what the newspaper describes as “a citrus revitalization programme” that focuses on the parish of Manchester. So apparently worrying is Jamaica’s citrus challenge that the manager of the country’s Seed Certification Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture, Alfred Barrett, is on record as stating that “Jamaica now has some of the most expensive citrus across the world.”
Jamaica’s ‘citrus challenge’ reportedly derives from what is known as the ‘greening disease’, a bacterial disease spread by an insect called the Asian Citrus Psyllid which acts as a vector, causing bacteria to spread from infected trees to healthy ones as it feeds on the leaves and stems of citrus plants. It has been known to reduce the production of citrus in the country by more than 50 per cent. The disease has also been known to have had a serious impact on citrus production elsewhere in the region.
Stabroek Business’ ‘probe’ of the ‘citrus situation’ at three markets in Region Four over the past week found that while local consumers were making no complaints about the availability of citrus (mostly oranges) on the market they were concerned over prices that ranged from between four and five oranges for $G1,000.00. Having regard to consumer preference for sweet oranges, high prices often give rise to consumer requests that they be provided with what is known as the taste and buy option, a sampling procedure the helps inform consumer decision-making in the matter of actual purchasing.
Citrus fruit rank at the very top of the fruit preferences among consumers in Guyana and elsewhere in the Caribbean with production in Guyana expected to reach nearly 39,000 metric tons by 2026. Guyana’s 2025 budget allocates $104.6 billion to the agriculture sector, including $1.3 billion for citrus cultivation. In 2021, the country produced 31,000 metric tons, a 35% increase since 1966. This placed Guyanese at 81st in the world ranking of citrus production. The Bahamas overtook Guyanese in 2021 with 31,000 metric tons. Brazil, India and Mexico ranked second, third and fourth respectively.
