Kern Spencer takes giant leap into agriculture

Former government minister Kern Spencer has ventured into agriculture, putting acres of lands into sweet corn production.

The renowned businessman has traded politics for ploughs, diving headfirst into the world of agriculture with his new venture, South Coast Foods. Spencer, who has ventured into farming since January in his Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth community, said there are real rewards to be reaped.

But Spencer's vision for farming goes beyond traditional notions. He believes it's time for agriculture to undergo a glamorous makeover, to attract a new generation of farmers.

"In today's world, farming is as much about technology as it is about soil," Spencer said.

"There needs to be a rebranding of agriculture, because there are a lot of persons, for whatever reasons, who are not interested in farming. It is very hard to get persons to work on the farm, and when you do encourage a few persons to work, the inconsistency is a problem," he said.

"Then the proper training is lacking and you have to be taking them through the whole process. Gone are the days when you can just look up in the sky and plant based on where the moon is. Everything now is technologically driven, so the workforce has to catch up that. Some of my colleagues are already using drones to spray, so people will have to learn to fly drones to spray the crops," Spencer added.

A former member of parliament for St Elizabeth North East, Spencer told THE WEEKEND STAR that he has long had a love for agriculture. He said his latest venture reflects his conviction that there is money to be made from farming.

"Growing up and going to high school and university, there was a feeling that somehow farming can be demeaning. But I want to say to young persons that it is in exciting time to get into farming. There is real money in farming now, but you have to do it properly from start to finish. It is hard work and you will have to be dedicated," he said.

Spencer recently gave THE WEEKEND STAR team a tour of his corn fields, which are located on three different plots in the Beadles Boulevard area. He said the sweet corn is in high demand across the island.

"The restaurants, in general, but particularly the seafood restaurants, use them on their menu. We also sell sweet corn to the soup and crab vendors and just about anyone who wants them to purchase. There is also a demand for it in the supermarkets as well, but it is always limited in stock. This is so because of the access to the sweet corn seeds. It is very hard to get the seeds, and sometimes you have to wait for months to get them from the farm store, as the brands are imported," he said.

The island has been under a dry spell for months, and this has affected farmers. Spencer said, for the most part, they truck water from a nearby river, but that can be expensive. He employs drip irrigation technology to conserve water and nutrients, a move that not only saves resources but also boosts crop yields.

Currently, Spencer said he and his team are creating an online food store where customers can track the availability of crops and the prices.

"I know RADA (Rural Agricultural Development Authority) is trying and doing some stuff, but what we are really trying to set up is a central marketing system with farmers, so that we can be more information driven, so we can know what the demands are, quantity, and the time of year that it is required. This way, we will know what to plant and when," Spencer said.

Looking to the future, Spencer envisions a centralised marketing system that empowers farmers with real-time data on crop demand and pricing.

"It's not rocket science for everyone to know that, if you all plant, let's say, tomatoes at the same time, then the possibility exists that, at the end of the period, there is going to be a problem, as they will go for low prices. There needs to be more coordination in the system," Spencer said.

"So far, we have at least 20 persons who are active in our group. So, I suspect that, by middle summer to the end of the year, we should have an organisation that we call the Jamaica Farmers Union, and we should be able to feed Jamaica properly," he added.