Company positioned to capitalise on global export gaps

Salada Foods Limited’s role as a key player in the agricultural value chain and Jamaica’s drive to reclaim global market share in the ginger and turmeric industry was one of the highlights of a recent high-level tour of the company’s agroprocessing facility by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green

The minister had high praises for Salada’s vertically integrated model and emphasised the company’s role not just as a manufacturer, but as a critical stakeholder in the agro-processing industry.

“Too often we try to divorce companies like Salada from agriculture by placing them strictly in the manufacturing category,” said Minister Green during the tour.

“But Salada is an agricultural company—one that is adding tremendous value to local crops such as ginger and turmeric. What you’ve done here, in terms of product development and innovation, especially with Jamaican ginger and turmeric, is a strong example of the type of value-added manufacturing we are encouraging,” he added.

Salada has invested in spray-drying technology and has committed to sourcing locally, positioning it to respond to changing global market conditions. The company has committed to purchasing 100,000 pounds of Jamaican ginger from local farmers this year as part of a broader strategy to expand its product lines and supply chain resilience. This comes amid rising international demand and significant tariffs, ranging from 26 per cent to 125 per cent, on ginger and turmeric exports from traditional suppliers like China, India, and Thailand.

“Jamaica’s ginger is proven to be four times stronger than many of the varieties on the global market, and our turmeric is three times better,” Green pointed out.

“That puts our producers and processors in a prime position to serve high-value markets if we build the production base to support it. That’s why the Ministry [of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining] has committed US$20 million over five years to expand ginger and turmeric production, with greenhouse and clean-planting initiatives already showing success,” he added.

Salada’s factory, located on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston, is Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 2-certified with advanced capabilities for the production and packaging of instant coffee, ginger, turmeric, and other locally sourced agricultural products. In addition to manufacturing, the company partners directly with farmers in Clarendon, Manchester, and Westmoreland, and with processing plants like Tradewinds Citrus for the extraction of ginger and turmeric.

Tamii Brown, general manager of Salada Foods, welcomed Minister Green’s endorsement and the Government’s support for the local agricultural sector.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to share how Salada contributes to agricultural development through our manufacturing capabilities and local sourcing model,” said Brown.

“This visit comes at a critical time, as global supply chains shift and new opportunities emerge for Jamaica. We believe that with policy alignment, consistent supply, and public-private collaboration, Jamaica can retake its position as a global leader in ginger exports.”

Brown also noted the importance of developing disease- and climate-resilient crop varieties and highlighted Salada’s readiness to help unlock more value across the agroprocessing chain.

With a workforce of over 130 and underutilised production capacity, Salada is now calling for stronger linkages between government, growers, and processors to meet rising international demand and secure long-term sustainability for Jamaican agriculture.