CRM Jamaica Group

Crop Monitor

Farm gate supply and prices across Jamaica · week ending 2026-08-22

There is less food about than last week. Overall, supply is tighter than this time last year (2025-08-23).

Who’s selling, who’s buying

The gap between today’s farm gate price and what each crop normally fetches in August, read across five years. Tap any crop for the full picture.

Good week to be selling

Dearer than usual for the season, or tight enough that buyers are chasing it.

Plantain [Ripe]
Short +63% vs usual
J$473 per kg now · usually J$290 in August
Fetching 63% more than the usual August price; short on the ground, so buyers are competing
Green Banana
Normal +101% vs usual
J$292 per kg now · usually J$145 in August
Fetching 101% more than the usual August price
Cabbage Green
Short +76% vs usual
J$649 per kg now · usually J$368 in August
Fetching 76% more than the usual August price; short on the ground, so buyers are competing
Pumpkin
Short +76% vs usual
J$326 per kg now · usually J$185 in August
Fetching 76% more than the usual August price; short on the ground, so buyers are competing
Broccoli
Very short +28% vs usual
J$1,540 per kg now · usually J$1,206 in August
Fetching 28% more than the usual August price; short on the ground, so buyers are competing
Cucumber
Short +26% vs usual
J$294 per kg now · usually J$234 in August
Fetching 26% more than the usual August price; short on the ground, so buyers are competing
Papaya
Short +46% vs usual
J$385 per kg now · usually J$263 in August
Fetching 46% more than the usual August price; short on the ground, so buyers are competing
Thyme
Short +32% vs usual
J$1,210 per kg now · usually J$918 in August
Fetching 32% more than the usual August price; short on the ground, so buyers are competing

Good week to be buying

Cheaper than usual for the season, or plentiful now and heading short later.

Yam [Negro]
Normal -28% vs usual
J$495 per kg now · usually J$692 in August
28% cheaper than the usual August price
Hot Pepper (Scotch Bonnet)
Normal 0% vs usual
J$605 per kg now · usually J$607 in August
Going short later — worth locking in now
This reads the market, not the people in it. It is a guide to timing — your own costs, contracts and transport still decide the deal.

What to watch for

Based on how each crop has behaved at this time of year for the past five years, plus how it is moving right now. Tap any crop for the full story.

Going short — plant it, or buy before the price climbs

Going plentiful — prices likely to fall

Biggest changes this week

CropLast weekThis weekFarm price
BroccoliShortVery shortJ$1,540/kg
Tomato [Salad ]NormalShortJ$517/kg
Tomato [Plummy]NormalShortJ$350/kg
ThymeNormalShortJ$1,210/kg
Lettuce IcebergShortVery shortJ$930/kg
Lettuce RomaineVery shortVery shortJ$1,078/kg
Gungo PeasVery shortVery shortJ$880/kg
Ripe BananaShortNormalJ$413/kg
CauliflowerShortNormalJ$880/kg

Against this time last year

This week compared with week ending 2025-08-23. Useful for judging whether a price is really high, or just normal for the season.

Every crop, every parish

Week ending 2026-08-22. Find your crop, or your parish.

Very shortShortNormalPlentyGlut
CropSt. AndrewSt. ThomasPortlandSt. MarySt. AnnTrelawnySt. JamesHanoverWestmorelandSt. ElizabethManchesterClarendonSt. Catherine
Broccoli Very
Gungo Peas Very
Lettuce Romaine Very Very Shor Very Very
Lettuce Iceberg Very Very Very Very Very Very Norm Very Shor Shor Very
Sweet Pepper [Yellow] Very Shor Norm Very Very
Sweet Pepper [Red] Very Shor Norm Shor Very Very
Cabbage Green Very Very Shor Very Shor Very Very Norm Norm Very Norm Shor Very
String Beans Very Very Very Very Norm Very Norm Norm Very Shor
Irish Potato Very Very Very Norm Plen Very Very
Thyme Very Very Norm Shor
Sweet Pepper [Green] Very Very Very Very Shor Very Very Plen Shor Norm Shor Plen Very
Tomato [Salad ] Very Very Very Norm Very Shor Plen
Cantaloupe Norm Very
Carrot Very Norm Very Very Very Norm Norm Norm Very Plen Shor Very
Cucumber Very Very Very Very Norm Very Norm Norm Norm Plen Very
Ginger Very Very Norm Norm Norm Very
Pineapple [Md 2] Very Shor Very Very Norm Plen
Plantain [Ripe] Shor Shor
Tomato [Plummy] Very Very Shor Shor Very Very Norm Plen Norm Very Shor Plen Very
Papaya Very Shor Plen Very Shor Norm
Pumpkin Very Very Plen Shor Shor Shor Very Plen Norm Very Plen Very
Turmeric Very Plen Norm Very
Dasheen Very Norm Very Norm Norm Norm Norm Norm Very
Okra Very Very Norm Norm Norm Norm Plen Very
Watermelon Very Very Shor Norm Norm Norm Norm Norm
Yam [Yellow] Very Shor Shor Norm Norm Plen Norm Shor Norm Very
Green Banana Very Norm Plen Very Norm Plen Very
Coco Very Norm Norm Very Very Norm Norm Norm Plen Plen Very
Cauliflower Very Plen
Hot Pepper (Scotch Bonnet) Shor Very Very Norm Plen Very Norm Norm Norm Norm Plen Norm Shor
Sweet Potato Norm Shor Shor Shor Norm Plen Shor Norm Very Plen Shor
Pineapple [Sugar Loaf] Shor Shor Norm Norm Very Norm Plen
Pak Choi Very Norm Plen Plen Shor Norm Very Norm Shor Norm Plen Very
Callaloo-Whole Very Plen Shor Very Norm Norm Norm Norm Norm Norm Norm
Ripe Banana Norm Plen Very
Escallion Very Norm Norm Norm Plen
Plantain [Green] Very Plen Plen Very Plen
Sweet Corn Norm Shor Shor Very Plen Glut Norm Shor Plen
Honeydew Melon Norm
Hot Pepper (West Indian Red) Very Plen Plen Norm Norm Norm Plen Shor
Pineapple [Cowboy] Norm Very Plen Norm Norm Plen
Yam [Negro] Norm Norm

Scroll inside the grid — the parish names stay put. Tap a crop name to see its prices, its seasons and what we expect next.

Livestock & meat

Farm gate meat prices from the Ministry's livestock reports. Latest report in this record: 2025-06-30.

AnimalPrice per kgAgainst earlier years
Other — RabbitJ$3,300/kg+20%
Goat — ChevonJ$3,046/kg+5%
Goat — Chevon (Buck)J$2,902/kg-1%
Rabbit — Rabbit MeatJ$2,420/kg0%
Fish — SnappersJ$2,289/kg—
Sheep — MuttonJ$2,200/kg0%
Fish — ParrotJ$2,185/kg—
Goat — Chevon (Doe)J$2,053/kg-3%
Fish — GruntJ$2,016/kg—
Eggs — FlatJ$1,402/kg+35%
Fish — TilapiaJ$1,363/kg—
Cattle — BeefJ$1,018/kg+7%
Eggs — TrayJ$985/kg0%
Pig — FinishersJ$896/kg+3%
Pig — PorkJ$762/kg-3%
Poultry — BroilerJ$756/kg-5%

Tap a row for price history and parish detail. The Ministry reports livestock monthly rather than weekly, so this section updates less often than the crops.

What is driving this

Rainfall, and what is happening around the sector. Rain today does not change today’s market — it changes what reaches it weeks from now.

Rainfall
Across the growing parishes, rainfall over the past fortnight has averaged 32 mm. The next sixteen days look like about 65 mm.
Rainfall parish by parish
ParishPast 14 daysNext 16 days
Trelawny
43 mm		119 mm
St. Andrew
32 mm		100 mm
St. James
44 mm		94 mm
St. Catherine
33 mm		74 mm
St. Thomas
42 mm		70 mm
Hanover
40 mm		69 mm
St. Ann
31 mm		67 mm
St. Elizabeth
22 mm		56 mm
Westmoreland
36 mm		50 mm
Manchester
27 mm		48 mm
St. Mary
17 mm		38 mm
Clarendon
19 mm		37 mm
Portland
25 mm		26 mm
Where rain matters most

Measured across five years of rainfall and supply, after taking the normal seasonal pattern out.

  • Turmeric — rain shows up in supply about 8 weeks later (wetter means more)
  • Pineapple [Sugar Loaf] — rain shows up in supply about 15 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Lettuce Romaine — rain shows up in supply about 15 weeks later (wetter means more)
  • Pineapple [Cowboy] — rain shows up in supply about 16 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Plantain [Ripe] — rain shows up in supply about 1 week later (wetter means less)
  • Hot Pepper (West Indian Red) — rain shows up in supply about 14 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Onion — rain shows up in supply about 3 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Pineapple [Md 2] — rain shows up in supply about 10 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Gungo Peas — rain shows up in supply about 5 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Sorrel — rain shows up in supply about 9 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Cantaloupe — rain shows up in supply about 8 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Cauliflower — rain shows up in supply about 7 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Plantain [Green] — rain shows up in supply about 0 weeks later (wetter means less)
  • Lettuce Iceberg — rain shows up in supply about 15 weeks later (wetter means less)

What a hurricane does to supply

How much food was about, week by week, before and after. The thin grey bar shows how many parishes were able to report at all — it collapses when the reporting itself breaks down.

Hurricane Melissa — supply fell to short by 2025-11-15, back to normal by 2026-03-28
2025-09-06
Normal
296 reports
2025-09-13
Normal
295 reports
2025-09-20
Normal
297 reports
2025-09-27
Normal
299 reports
2025-10-04
Normal
300 reports
2025-10-11
Normal
304 reports
2025-10-18
Normal
304 reports
2025-10-25
Normal
304 reports
2025-11-15
Short
101 reports
2025-11-29
Short
139 reports
2025-12-06
Short
183 reports
2025-12-13
Short
203 reports
2025-12-20
Short
216 reports
2025-12-27
Short
218 reports
2026-01-03
Short
227 reports
2026-01-10
Short
234 reports
2026-01-17
Normal
246 reports
2026-01-24
Normal
254 reports
2026-01-31
Normal
265 reports
2026-02-07
Normal
267 reports
2026-02-14
Normal
272 reports
2026-02-21
Normal
277 reports
2026-02-28
Normal
288 reports
2026-03-07
Normal
288 reports
2026-03-14
Normal
288 reports
2026-03-21
Normal
296 reports
2026-03-28
Normal
299 reports
Hurricane Beryl — supply fell to short by 2024-09-07, back to short by 2024-11-30
2024-06-01
Normal
268 reports
2024-06-08
Normal
280 reports
2024-06-15
Normal
284 reports
2024-06-22
Normal
279 reports
2024-06-29
Normal
280 reports
2024-07-13
Short
250 reports
2024-07-20
Short
261 reports
2024-07-27
Short
254 reports
2024-08-03
Short
230 reports
2024-08-08
Short
248 reports
2024-08-24
Short
255 reports
2024-08-31
Short
271 reports
2024-09-07
Short
271 reports
2024-09-14
Short
276 reports
2024-09-21
Short
276 reports
2024-10-05
Short
275 reports
2024-10-19
Short
274 reports
2024-10-26
Short
283 reports
2024-11-02
Short
280 reports
2024-11-09
Short
271 reports
2024-11-16
Short
268 reports
2024-11-23
Short
278 reports
2024-11-30
Short
286 reports

How often are we right?

We tested this by pretending we only knew the data up to the end of 2024, then checking our guesses against what actually happened through 2025 and 2026.

Looking aheadOur guess vs just assuming no changePrice guess
1 weekno betterwithin 12% of the real price
2 weeksno betterwithin 16% of the real price
4 weeksno betterwithin 21% of the real price
2 months15% betterwithin 27% of the real price
3 months28% betterwithin 29% of the real price
6 months32% betterwithin 30% of the real price
Be careful with the short view. One or two weeks ahead, nothing beats looking at your own field and your own market. Where this is worth listening to is a month or more out, where the seasonal pattern carries real information and guessing is hard.