CAC to Survey 133 Textbooks

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) will, this year, survey 133 textbooks from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s approved 2017/18 supplementary list for students.

Involved are books for students at the infant, primary, grades seven to nine, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) levels.

Chairman of the CAC, Kent Gammon, says this exercise, conducted annually in partnership with the Ministry, will be undertaken during the final week of July, and anticipates that the results will be ready by the second week of August.

This project, he said, is being carried out in order to provide parents and guardians with timely information on prices and availability to guide purchasing decisions throughout the 2017/18 academic year, which commences in September.

Mr. Gammon was speaking at the CAC’s quarterly media briefing at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries  in New Kingston on July 5.

The Chairman also encouraged parents to use the CAC’s price enquiry tool, located on its website at www.cac.gov.jm, to inform their shopping decisions.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gammon said a CAC analysis of eight categories of agricultural produce grown and sold locally showed increased prices ranging between 25 and over 70 per cent for four crops in the weeks following the May 15 to 19 flood rains.

This, he said, is according to data posted on the Jamaica Market Information System website. The crops analysed included green cabbage, callaloo, carrot, scallion, Irish and sweet potato, lettuce and tomatoes.

Mr. Gammon noted that the prices for green cabbage, scallion and tomatoes have continued to increase, adding that the CAC would monitor movement in the costs for these and other produce.

“The public will be updated further. However, consumers may also use the Commission’s price enquiry tool to aid their shopping decisions,” he said.