Crop Monitor — week ending 17 Oct 2026

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CRM Jamaica Group

Crop Monitor

Farm gate supply and prices · week ending 17 Oct 2026

Overall supply island-wide is short — tighter than last week, and tighter than this time last year. 28 crops short or very short, 2 plentiful.

Inside: what is short · what is plentiful · biggest movers · what we expect · prices against last year and against the usual October price · every crop side by side · livestock · rainfall · sector news

Short this week

Less about than usual — prices firm or climbing.

Crop	Supply	Price	A year ago
Broccoli	Very short	J$1,155/kg	last year very short
Cauliflower	Very short	J$806/kg	last year short
Irish Potato	Very short	J$660/kg	last year very short
Lettuce Iceberg	Very short	J$2,170/kg	last year very short
Lettuce Romaine	Very short	J$2,255/kg	last year very short
Thyme	Very short	J$2,090/kg	last year very short
Tomato [Salad ]	Very short	J$722/kg	last year short
Yam [Negro]	Very short	J$550/kg	last year short
Yam [Sweet]	Very short	J$880/kg	—
Carrot	Very short	J$800/kg	last year short

Plentiful this week

More about than usual — good buying, softer prices.

Crop	Supply	Price
Turmeric	Plenty	J$198/kg
Plantain [Ripe]	Plenty	J$396/kg

Biggest changes this week

Crops that moved a full step in seven days.

Crop	Last week	Now	Price
Yam [Negro]	Short	→ Very short	J$550/kg
Pak Choi	Short	→ Normal	J$310/kg
Cucumber	Short	→ Normal	J$257/kg

What we expect in about two months

Based on how each crop behaves at this time of year, plus how it is moving now.

Crop	Now	Expected
Hot Pepper (Scotch Bonnet)	Short	→ Very short
Hot Pepper (West Indian Red)	Normal	→ Very short
Sweet Pepper [Red]	Short	→ Very short
Carrot	Very short	→ Short
Tomato [Salad ]	Very short	→ Short
Irish Potato	Very short	→ Short
Sweet Pepper [Green]	Normal	→ Short
Thyme	Very short	→ Short

Biggest price moves this week

Against week ending 10 Oct 2026.

Crop	Last week	Now	Change
Cucumber	J$310	J$257	-17%
Sweet Corn	J$951	J$1,106	+16%
Thyme	J$2,475	J$2,090	-16%
Pak Choi	J$361	J$310	-14%
Escallion	J$387	J$338	-12%
Yam [Yellow]	J$818	J$724	-12%
Hot Pepper (West Indian Red)	J$498	J$553	+11%
Cauliflower	J$733	J$806	+10%

Prices against a year ago

This week compared with week ending 18 Oct 2025.

Crop	Last year	Now	Change
Sweet Potato	J$274	J$575	+110%
Lettuce Romaine	J$1,127	J$2,255	+100%
Thyme	J$1,063	J$2,090	+97%
Plantain [Green]	J$210	J$393	+87%
Hot Pepper (West Indian Red)	J$302	J$553	+83%
Pumpkin	J$242	J$441	+83%
Honeydew Melon	J$198	J$330	+67%
Green Banana	J$167	J$277	+66%
Lettuce Iceberg	J$1,344	J$2,170	+61%
Okra	J$333	J$536	+61%

Against the usual price for October

Every October across five years, this is what these crops have fetched. The gap is where the money is.

Crop	Usual	Now	Gap	Reading
Green Banana	J$139	J$277	+99%	above normal — good selling
Pumpkin	J$223	J$441	+97%	above normal — good selling
Sweet Potato	J$309	J$575	+86%	above normal — good selling
Carrot	J$468	J$800	+71%	above normal — good selling
Tomato [Plummy]	J$422	J$685	+62%	above normal — good selling
Okra	J$332	J$536	+61%	above normal — good selling
Thyme	J$1,320	J$2,090	+58%	above normal — good selling
Papaya	J$259	J$404	+56%	above normal — good selling
Plantain [Green]	J$267	J$393	+47%	above normal — good selling
Sorrel	J$600	J$880	+47%	above normal — good selling

Coming into their dearest months

Over five years these crops have fetched the most around this time of year.

Crop	Dearest	Cheapest	Now
Cabbage Green	December	May	J$583
Callaloo-Whole	December	May	J$222
Carrot	November	April	J$800
Cauliflower	August	February	J$806
Coco	August	November	J$515
Cucumber	August	January	J$257

Weather
Across the growing parishes, rainfall over the past fortnight has averaged 46 mm. The next sixteen days look like about 61 mm — wettest in St. Thomas (108 mm), driest in Clarendon (33 mm).

Where rain matters most

Pineapple [Sugar Loaf]: rain shows up in supply about 15 weeks later
Turmeric: rain shows up in supply about 8 weeks later
Plantain [Ripe]: rain shows up in supply about 0 weeks later
Onion: rain shows up in supply about 3 weeks later
Pineapple [Cowboy]: rain shows up in supply about 9 weeks later

Every crop, side by side

Supply now against a year ago, and today’s price against both last year and the usual October price. 43 crops.

Crop	Now	Year ago	Price	vs yr	vs usual
Broccoli	Very short	Very short	J$1,155	-19%	-2%
Cabbage Green	Short	Short	J$583	+18%	+46%
Callaloo-Whole	Normal	Normal	J$222	+20%	+11%
Cantaloupe	Normal	Short	J$330	+25%	+39%
Carrot	Very short	Short	J$800	+53%	+71%
Cauliflower	Very short	Short	J$806	-8%	+17%
Coco	Normal	Normal	J$515	+19%	+39%
Cucumber	Normal	Normal	J$257	-16%	+23%
Dasheen	Normal	Normal	J$475	+21%	+36%
Escallion	Short	Normal	J$338	+33%	-5%
Ginger	Short	Normal	J$822	-19%	+21%
Green Banana	Normal	Plenty	J$277	+66%	+99%
Honeydew Melon	Short	Normal	J$330	+67%	+43%
Hot Pepper (Scotch Bonnet)	Short	Short	J$846	+25%	+14%
Hot Pepper (West Indian Red)	Normal	Normal	J$553	+83%	+45%
Irish Potato	Very short	Very short	J$660	+20%	+41%
Lettuce Iceberg	Very short	Very short	J$2,170	+61%	+28%
Lettuce Romaine	Very short	Very short	J$2,255	+100%	+44%
Okra	Normal	Short	J$536	+61%	+61%
Pak Choi	Normal	Normal	J$310	+9%	+27%
Papaya	Short	Normal	J$404	+36%	+56%
Pineapple [Cowboy]	Short	Short	J$404	+43%	+12%
Pineapple [Md 2]	Short	Short	J$484	+12%	+8%
Pineapple [Sugar Loaf]	Short	Short	J$434	+4%	+1%
Plantain [Green]	Normal	Normal	J$393	+87%	+47%
Plantain [Ripe]	Plenty	Normal	J$396	+39%	+30%
Pumpkin	Short	Normal	J$441	+83%	+97%
Ripe Banana	Normal	—	J$292	—	+1%
Sorrel	Short	Very short	J$880	+18%	+47%
String Beans	Very short	Short	J$679	+51%	+46%
Sweet Corn	Short	—	J$1,106	—	+14%
Sweet Pepper [Green]	Normal	Short	J$811	+18%	+29%
Sweet Pepper [Red]	Short	Short	J$1,136	+9%	+27%
Sweet Pepper [Yellow]	Short	Short	J$1,136	+13%	+26%
Sweet Potato	Normal	Normal	J$575	+110%	+86%
Thyme	Very short	Very short	J$2,090	+97%	+58%
Tomato [Plummy]	Short	Short	J$685	+46%	+62%
Tomato [Salad ]	Very short	Short	J$722	+18%	+40%
Turmeric	Plenty	Short	J$198	-20%	-15%
Watermelon	Short	Normal	J$310	+5%	+11%
Yam [Negro]	Very short	Short	J$550	+15%	+15%
Yam [Sweet]	Very short	—	J$880	—	0%
Yam [Yellow]	Short	Normal	J$724	+23%	+7%

Livestock and meat

Farm gate meat prices, latest Ministry report (30 Jun 2025).

Animal	Price
Goat — Chevon	J$3,039/kg
Fish — Snappers	J$2,258/kg
Fish — Parrot	J$2,182/kg
Fish — Grunt	J$2,011/kg
Eggs — Flat	J$1,426/kg
Fish — Tilapia	J$1,376/kg
Cattle — Beef	J$1,024/kg
Pig — Finishers	J$895/kg
Poultry — Broiler	J$756/kg

Around the sector

From the Gleaner, the Observer, JIS and the Ministry.

Government Committed to Mitigating Effects of Drought on Farmers

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining continues to implement measures to mitigate the impact of drought on farmers, says portfolio Minister, Floyd Green. Inte

jis

Minister Green Urges Actionable Outcomes from Caribbean Week of Agriculture

Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, is urging clear, actionable outcomes from the staging of Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA 2026) as the reg

jis

Farmers Assisted with Water Tanks and Ponds to Combat Drought

Farmers battling one of Jamaica’s most severe droughts are being backed with water tanks, farm ponds and crop insurance, as the Rural Agricultural Development Autho

jis

Private Sector Urged to Collaborate with Education Ministry on Digital Skills Training

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has issued a call for private-sector leaders to actively collaborate with th

jis

Livestock Farmers Encouraged to Understand How Animals Release Body Heat

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is encouraging livestock farmers to understand how animals release body heat as hotter and more humid conditions incre

jis

Success of CWA Will Be Determined By Action – Minister

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says the success of the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) will be determined by the action that fo

jis

New yam planting method expected to boost yield

observer

New planting tech set to revolutionise yam farming

WESTERN BUREAU: A new yam propagation technology could multiply planting material up to 300-fold from a single plant could help to ease the shortage of quality seed while

gleaner

Export crops — coffee, cocoa, coconut, spices

What the world pays, what the farm gate paid this week, and what was last announced — kept apart on purpose.

World price	Year ago	Now	Change
Cocoa (world) $/kg	7.37	5.61	▼ -23.9%
Coffee, Arabica (world) $/kg	7.18	7.91	▲ +10.2%
Coffee, Robusta (world) $/kg	3.69	4.07	▲ +10.3%
Coconut oil (world) $/mt	2,841	1,924	▼ -32.3%
Palm kernel oil (world) $/mt	2,097	2,441	▲ +16.4%

World Bank Pink Sheet, monthly averages, US$.

Farm gate this week	A year ago	Now, J$/kg	Change
Ginger week ending 2026-10-17 · 5 parish(es)	1,100	880	▼ -20.0%
Turmeric week ending 2026-10-17 · 2 parish(es)	220	220	+0.0%

Ministry weekly returns; island median of parish most-frequent prices.

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CRM Jamaica Crop Monitor
Built from the weekly farm gate reports of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining (JAMIS) — 71,075 supply and price readings across 252 weeks.
Supply wording is ours, based on the Ministry's own scarce / fair / moderate / good ratings. Forecasts are estimates, not promises.
Seeing something we should know? Tell us what is happening where you are — prices, weather, pests, thieves. It shapes next week's report.

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