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President of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association, Omar Azan, has welcomed the new US$10 million credit facility that has been secured by the Export Import Bank of Jamaica (EXIM Bank), to assist local importers of goods and raw materials from the United States. Reacting to the announcement in an interview with JIS News yesterday (Oct. 28), Mr. Azan noted that the...

Minister of Health, Rudyard Spencer, has expressed the view that to successfully reduce the demand for illicit drugs throughout the Caribbean, a region-wide public education programme, similar to the one being implemented for HIV/AIDS, must be carried out. Pointing out that the region cannot afford the social decadence that accompanies the peddling, use and abuse of drugs, the Health Minister...

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has informed that the Consumer Affairs Commission and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), will be monitoring selected retailers to ensure that the prices on the cheaper fertiliser blends, which arrived in the island last week, are kept at the agreed levels. "The intention is not to implement price control, we will however continue...

A programme for the rehabilitation and reintegration of local offenders and deported persons, is to be undertaken by the Government, through the Ministry of National Security, and the United Kingdom (UK) Government. Making the announcement at today's (Oct. 29) post-Cabinet press briefing, Minister of National Security, Senator Colonel Trevor MacMillan, said that to this end, "a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), on Tuesday (Oct. 28), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the Jamaica Red Cross Society, to undertake the management of priority emergency shelters islandwide. Director General of ODPEM, Ronald Jackson, said the signing, which took place at the agency's headquarters in Kingston, represents the culmination of year-long consultations with the...

National Security Minister, Senator Colonel Trevor MacMillan, is defending the Government's decision to build a new 5,000-bed, state of the art, correctional facility at Amity Hall in St. Catherine. Describing the country's correctional facilities as "woefully inadequate", Col. MacMillan says the facility will be the first major investment undertaken in the island's prison system in over 200 years. Addressing the...

Across the world, leaders of nations are continually engaged in pursuits, aimed at positioning their countries to maintain relevance within a globalised dispensation. Increasingly, there is recognition of the need for focus in this regard, as the global platform continues to broaden to accommodate those capable of participating and surviving in a highly competitive environment. The same is true of...

Minister of Health and Environment, Rudyard Spencer, advised the House of Representatives yesterday (Oct. 28), that there was nothing "malicious or vindictive" in the termination of the services of Rae Barrett, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Fund (NHF). "It is very important that the country understand that the CEO was appointed by the former administration. When...

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator Dwight Nelson, has called on stakeholders participating in this year's Productivity Conference, to take total factor productivity into consideration. He cautioned against mistaking efficiency for productivity, while speaking at the opening ceremony of the Jamaica Productivity Centre's (JPC), Productivity Conference, at the Knutsford Court Hotel yesterday (October...

The Animal Breeding and Husbandry Division, established in 1973 in the Ministry of Agriculture, has taken a multi-disciplinary approach to conservation, development and utilisation of farm animal genetic resources, for the attainment of food security in animal protein. The Division seeks to facilitate research and development, while applying new technologies to animal production in an effort to contribute to the...

President of the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association (JGRA), Trevor Barnes, is urging petrol stations to put in place the necessary facilities and systems to transition to the E10 (ethanol blended fuel). This he says in the long run, will be to their advantage. "The service stations that will not be ready for November 1, they should encourage their marketing companies...

President of the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association (JGRA),Trevor Barnes, has said the Petcom Portmore petrol station is ready to introduce E10 (ethanol blended fuel), on November 1. "In order to be ready, we had to ensure that the tanks were cleaned and free of all debris and water. We also ensured that the seals were in working order and that...