Lack of communication between decision makers in hotels and local producers and suppliers is a key factor to the high food import bill.

This was revealed in a Tourism and Agriculture Linkages study called “From the Farm to the Tourist’s Table” which was launched today.

Adding to the high food import bill is also poor business ethics, inconsistent supply, poor quality of products and lack of food safety standards.

The International Finance Corporation operation officer, Jessie McComb says hotel purchasing managers and chefs have noticed that poor communication skills and lack of adherence to agreements on the part of the farmers and suppliers are ongoing challenges.

-“This is driven by poor business ethics, a lack of communication, and a lack of understanding of hotel purchasing requirements on the suppliers and farmers side. To increase the quality of the products, IFC will be working with the Chef’s associations to create vegetables and fruits grading charts based on hotel standards and requirements. This chart can be used by farmers understand when to harvest and how to sort, grade and store produce.”_

To improve the supply of local fresh produce to hotels, the International Finance Corporation will be working closely with the agriculture sector in coordinating approaches to address these challenges.