Demand rises for callaloo

Hurdley 'Justice' Rowe, a callaloo farmer in Spanish Town, St Catherine, is among the small percentage of farmers who has been benefiting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rowe, who is in his early 60s, owns approximately 10 acres of land from which he operates 'Justice Farm'.

When asked if COVID-19 has caused a dip in his sales, Rowe responded swiftly with, "yuh mean more!"

Rowe told THE STAR that since the coronavirus entered Jamaica, there has been an unprecedented demand for callaloo.

"Me sell more callaloo this time. From the other day it (COVID-19) come in, we a sell like crazy. People even cut up and buy and sell to supermarket. They do a lot of buying ... A the first me ever get so much good market," he said.

The farmer of eight years said that the callaloo industry has always been profitable. But now, profits have increased drastically.

"We always have sale enuh. We do it right through the year, because we have some factories weh can (callaloo), so we supply the factory them. Sometimes we nuh produce enough or we lose, so we just go right through the year," he said. "Me have about five acres of ready callaloo. Me have callaloo reap every week. When you cut the spring one enuh, and get your fertiliser and spray it up, that crop feed yuh because it always a pre-produce."

With a booming market in place, it would be self-sabotage for Rowe not to take advantage. His employees are still present at work, preparing for a delivery to the Linstead Market, despite the prime minister's orders for a complete lockdown of the parish.

"Sometimes a nuff a dem. Today, it was about 14. Five carrier and five cutter, that a 10 ... and me have man weh a do weeding. We do we social distancing thing still, because nobody nuh too lap up with nobody. Man always a move and dem deh separate by themselves," he stressed.