Jamaican Scotch bonnet pepper prices increase after crop shortages

Jamaican Scotch bonnet pepper prices have increased following reduced harvests on the island. The peppers are used in jerk seasoning and hot sauces that are staples in Jamaica and exported to Canada. Supply shortfalls stem from repeated damage by thrips, plant disease and storms. Hurricane Beryl struck in 2024 and Hurricane Melissa hit in late October, destroying crops across multiple farms.

Supply and price changes Sheldon Grant, a farmer in St.

Catherine Parish, said the crop is sensitive and that prices reached 5,000 JMD per pound in December after Hurricane Melissa. Grant and his wife Shanice Bedward-Grant have lost multiple plantings since 2021. Andy Narine, owner of Tamisha Trading in Scarborough, Ontario, said an eight-pound box from Jamaica now costs about twice as much as the same quantity from the Dominican Republic.

Jet fuel prices have added to shipping costs. Joannah Grant-Bailey, owner of Caribbean Corner grocery store in Toronto, said prices have doubled over the past few years and that some restaurants have begun ordering in bulk.

Effects on producers and consumers Sharna Davidson, owner of Tata Hot Sauce in Toronto, said she has mixed habanero peppers with remaining Scotch bonnets after finding stored peppers lacked expected heat. She expects another harvest by July. Canada imported 3.72 million Canadian dollars of mixed condiments and seasonings from Jamaica in 2025.

The country ranks among the top three export destinations for Jamaican hot pepper sauce. Michael von Massow, a food agriculture professor at the University of Guelph, said specific suppliers may face higher costs or reduced output, but a broad hot sauce shortage is not expected.

Grant said demand for quality seedlings exceeds supply and that weather timing and labor shortages continue to affect production. The family plans to plant two acres of Scotch bonnets in late summer.