Jamaica faces sorrel shortage as prices soar amid Hurricane impact

Jamaica: As the new year is arriving, Jamaican suppliers are complaining about the major decline in the supply of sorrel which is a favourite holiday drink in the country. According to the reports, supplier had to pay 60 percent more to source the crop.  

The market blamed the reduction on the impact of Category five Hurricane Beryl which impacted the island in July 2024 followed by the subsequent continuous rainfall across the island, making the situation worse.  

While sharing the development, Managing Director of Trade Winds Citrus, Peter McConnell said that he is not worried about undersupply as his team has gotten most of what they needed. He added that they are down five to ten percent on volume but it has surely come at a price.  

He highlighted that his company paid up to $400 per pound for sorrel which is up from $250 per pound during the last few years. McConnell who markets sorrel under the Tru-Juice label said that he has adequate supplies of sorrel to satisfy the expected demand during this holiday season.  

He further added that Trade Winds has purchased over 60,000 pounds of sorrel during the past couple of months from its network of farmers which is spread across Jamaica.  

McConnell said that in spite of the tight supplies and higher prices, sorrel will be available during the entire holiday season. According to him, the company’s biggest seller every month is orange juice with the exceptional of December when this favourite drink sorrel takes the lead.  

On the other hand, it was reported that at the Coronation Market in Kingston which is the largest municipal market of Jamaica, sorrel was being sold at a whopping price of $700 per pound last week.  

While talking about the shortage of sorrel, former president of the Jamaica Agriculture Society, Lenworth Fulton noted that this crop is planted throughout the year, but planting is usually ramped up in June and July in order to meet the huge demand in the coming months.  

He emphasised that when Beryl stuck Jamaica on July 3, the plants had just began to bloom and the wind blew down several of the young plants which has caused the shortage for most of the second half of 2024.  

According to him, the main parishes of growing this crop are Clarendon in areas such as Crofts Hill and Morant as well as Westmoreland, which are producing significant amounts since the last decade. He added but all parishes grow sorrel as it is a very tolerant crop.  

Meanwhile, McConnell wants more farmers to plant the crop year-round in order to streamline supplies apart from the holiday season.