Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, has lauded the ‘Salute to Farmers’ initiative being undertaken by St. Jago Farm and Hardware Supplies Limited (SJFHS) to assist farmers who suffered losses during recent flood rains. Under the initiative, the company collaborates with its international suppliers to provide farmers with key inputs to...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the labour force needs to keep pace with the growing business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, noting that there are not enough qualified persons to fill jobs. “We have to address the binding constraint of the growth of the BPO sector… and that is the labour force,” Mr. Holness said, while addressing stakeholders...

Registered coffee farmers are to benefit from an $80-million initiative that is expected to improve and increase their yields over time. The project, which falls under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries’ Productivity Incentive Programme, will focus on training; the purchase of inputs, such as fertilisers and fungicides, and tools. Speaking at a press conference on October 3...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, has applauded the Jamaica 4-H Clubs for moving to stage farmers’ markets, providing a ready-made market for farm produce. The inaugural event was held on Friday (September 29) at the 4-H headquarters on Old Hope Road in St. Andrew. Mr. Hutchinson, who spoke to JIS...

Director General in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Vivian Brown, says the Government remains committed to creating the legislative framework to protect consumers’ rights, while increasing their confidence in the business environment. “This means regularly reviewing and modernising our consumer protection laws, ensuring that there is effective redress for aggrieved consumers and empowering citizens to become more...

Head of the Trade Agreements Implementation Unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Symone Betton-Nayo, says the services sector remains an untapped area that offers tremendous opportunity for Jamaica’s economic growth and development. The service sector includes economic activities such as retail, banking, hospitality, entertainment, real estate, education, health, social work, recreation, media, communications, electricity, gas, water...

Minister without Portfolio in the Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson is calling for more local farmers to utilise organic fertilisers. He noted that crops grown organically fetch a higher price at market. The demand for organic produce continues to grow, with the global market estimated to value US$80 billion in 2015. “We want to get a...

Timely implementation of key capital projects and reforms by the Government and other stakeholders will be pivotal to the country’s achieving projected growth of between two to three per cent for the 2017/18 fiscal year, and higher out-turns over the medium term. This was emphasised by Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry, at the...

The Government is moving to implement the Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) process for used vehicles entering the island. Permanent Secretary in the Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry, Donovan Stanberry, provided details at a consultation with used-car dealers, on August 29 at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) in New Kingston to outline the process. The Permanent Secretary explained that the...