From banking to farming: Fullerton flourishes after career shift
FORTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD GREGORY Fullerton already knew a career change was inevitable before the pandemic hit three years ago.
Although Fullerton knew he needed the change, the former bank teller of 14 years, up until September 2019, just could not pinpoint a suitable career alternative.
After leaving his banking position, he joined his father, who is now deceased, on the farm to cultivate crops in Trelawny. Soon after, the pandemic hit and, luckily for him, it generated demand for local produce, as persons were forced to stay home; he just rolled with the punches and reaped the benefits that flowed.
“When I left banking, we had the whole meltdown with COVID19, and it (farming) was one of the viable things to do at the time, because of the whole restrictions and measures, so I had to work around that to ensure viability and taking care of the family,” Fullerton told The Gleaner during an interview last Wednesday at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, where he was voted top male participant for the Small Farmers Digitalisation Programme.
“I resigned not because of farming, but because I wanted to go into other job opportunities. [I] had a bit of challenge due to the whole COVID-19 situation,” he said.
Fullerton, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northern Caribbean University (NCU), said it was his father who inspired him to pursue tertiary studies at the NCU. He is thankful for the push from his father.
“He is one of the persons who is very instrumental in farming, and he always told me it’s therapeutic. Not only that, but you’re able to feed your family. You’re able to take care of not only your family, but other neighbouring persons, and it’s also a viable business if everything goes well,” said the banker-turned-farmer.
“He loved farming but he was a business person, so I followed in his steps.”
Fullerton said his father’s words about farming have proven to be true.
Now, nearly three years later, the young farmer is elated that he chose to grow crops, which provided the environment to form an even closer bond with his father before his passing.
“As you see now, with what is happening now, it (farming) would be more viable, in a sense, with what is happening in the global climate, with restriction on food and all of that. So, it is something to really push and embarked upon with what happens in the global market,” he told The Gleaner.
“With the war in Ukraine/russia, we depend a lot on greens and the corn, it’s a main ingredient for a lot of products that we use,” he added.
Fullerton, who is now a member of the Southeast Cockpit Country Farmers LFMC and plants yams and cash crops, such as cabbage, carrot and pak choi, envisions expanding his farming venture to capitalise on opportunities in the export market and earn foreign exchange.
“It is wonderful. Farming has to be a part of my life. One of my main dreams is to extend my farm, so that we can hit the export market,” he proudly outlined.
“Jamaica is heavily dependent on the US dollar and so, because of the global community, the markets are open and one can trade and do business in not only one’s country, but offshore,” he said.
The Small Farmers Digitalisation Programme, which was implemented by the Morris Entrepreneurship Centre at the NCU, provided small farmers with the requisite skills needed to embrace and utilise technology to enhance their farming businesses.
As part of the programme, farmers received basic and advanced computer training, as well as training in basic marketing and social media marketing principles.