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We're
in the ackee It used to be scorned as slave food. Then for almost 30 years it was dissed by
the US as a toxic fruit. Although we always ate it, even
conferring on it the title national fruit, somehow ackee, even when we
paired it with saltfish, never seemed to have gotten its due respect. But these days ackee seems to be gliding
into the spotlight as the golden child of Jamaica's agricultural industry.
It has even moved on up to the steps of the White House. What is going on here? For one thing, ackee in some quarters,
has gone haute cuisine. Forget ackee and saltfish. Think ackee quiche, for
example. Then the US in July lifted its
27-year-ban, having satisfied its Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) food
safety requirements. The triumph is not just that ackee has
gone abroad now, it has been available in the UK and Canada for decades, but
now it will carry some clout. With the opening up of the US market, ackee
exports could double from US$10 million to US$20 million within two years,
according to estimates. If all goes well, the fruit which was brought to the
island by enslaved West Africans, could soon be the island's leading
agricultural export to the US. Ackee's crowning glory came in August,
however, when the Jamaican Agro-Processing Association bestowed 'The Order
of Ackee' on US Ambssador Stanley McLelland for his pivotal role in having
the US ban lifted. At the ceremony, Ambassador McLelland
declared himself overwhelmed and described it as "an incredible honour"
to receive the award, saying he would "cherish it for the rest of his
life." THE BUSINESS OF ACKEE For years Jamaica was the only country
where the fruit was grown on a large scale and widely recognised as an
edible food crop. There are reports that several other
Caribbean islands, Mexico, Costa Rica, Florida and even Hawaii are getting
in on the act. "...we need to investigate since it
will impact on our marketing strategies," said Director of Agribusiness
at the Jamaica Promotions Organisation (JAMPRO), Audrey Wright. Mexican researchers have taken a serious
interest in the fruit, and are among the first to conduct comprehensive
evaluations of its nutritional value. Marco Antonio Huerta, Trade and
Corporations Officer in the Mexican Embassy in Kingston, was unable to
confirm whether Mexico was developing a large-scale export ackee industry.
He added, however, that Mexico had a number of scientific programmes in the
areas of agricultural research and development in which it had been
co-operating with Jamaica. In the meantime local authorities are
scrambling to figure out how to take advantage of ackee's fortunes. Only two
of the island's 16 processors have already reached full compliance with US
Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) food safety requirements and can
therefore begin exporting. About 700,000 cases of ackees must be produced
each year if Jamaica is to reap a projected annual windfall of US$40 million
from ackee exports. The industry has yet to determine the
size of the overseas market but, said Mrs. Wright, it is clear that demand
is outstripping supply. "We don't have enough ackee to can
for export. We're not even able to satisfy our existing market right
now." To step up production ackee has been
picked as the main cropin the Ministry of Agriculture's tree crop project.
Already, 100 hectares out of a total 880 hectares of ackee orchard have been
planted under the three-year project. JAMPRO officials noted that the increased
production and export were aimed at moving ackees beyond the ethnic food
market of metropolitan immigrant communities into the mainstream market of
major supermarket chains in Canada, the US and the UK. In the meantime, Jamaicans living abroad
have resorted to a variety of methods to satisfy their ackee craving. Some
have gone high tech to scout out the best prices. Here are some of their comments, taken
from a web-forum hosted by jamaicans.com. "Mi did feel fi some ackee and
saltfish fi mi breakfas' ah mawning and decide fi go buy a few tins ah ackee,"
writes 'First Human', a Jamaican living in Toronto, Canada. "Guess how
much fi one deggay tin? US$8.99," almost double the previous retail
price of C$5. 'First Human' has a theory about why the
beloved fruit is now playing hard to get. "Mi hear seh from it start fi
cross di barder (into the US) it nuh have no time fi di locals (Canadians)
henymore." In England, according to Sparky, a
scientific assistant from Kent, a craving for ackee can cost 2.99 pounds per
tin. And if that isn't bad enough, indications are that the price will rise
as the Christmas season approaches, he said. Jamaicans in the US don't seem to be
faring much better than their Canadian and British counterparts in their
quest for ackee. "$10 an' change" is the price to be paid for the
Jamaican staple in the US ethnic food market." On the bright side, though, there have
been reports of shops in Brooklyn, New York, selling ackee at the comparably
reasonable price of US$5 a tin. It was 'Jabritusa', a clerk from Dallas,
Texas who alerted the others about the Brooklyn price. "In Brooklyn NY
it proudly sells for $5 a tin. Big up New York!!" she declared. Local prices are about $30 per dozen. By David Williams, Freelance Writer Source:jamaica-gleaner,
26/10/2000
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