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56 57 ADVANCED FARM TECHNOLOGIES LTD. AT A GLANCE ADVANCED FARM TECHNOLOGIES LTD. WHAT: A major supplier of Jamaican papaya WHERE: Martha Brae, Trelawny, Jamaica CONTACT: production@marthasbest.com ADVANCED FARM TECHNOLOGIES LTD. JAMAI A’S BEST PAPAYAS A dvanced Farm Technologies Ltd. was founded in 1991 in the small, rural village of Martha Brae in Trelawny, Jamaica, when the management of its Indiana-based parent company recognized the growing demand in the North American market for fresh and exotic fruits. So, the com- pany purchased a farm, situated in a valley near Martha Brae, and within 40 minutes of Montego Bay’s international airport. From its humble beginnings on just 25 acres, today, the company employs over 400 full-time team members who plant and nurture Martha’s Best Papayas, sometimes known as “strawber- ry papaya,” on 170 acres from the best seed nature provides and without using any geneti- cally modified material. Now, one of the largest producers in Jamaica, the company is a major exporter of papaya to countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Advanced Farm Technologies employs envi- ronmentally friendly pest control, incorporat-