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The Ministry of Agriculture is revitalizing its Fruit Tree Crop Project, a programme to establish traditional but non-orchard fruit trees, excluding papaya. Speaking with JIS News, Project Coordinator, Claudette Bernard, commented, "we are doing this because people are becoming more health conscious, and also the demand for nutraceuticals and juices is growing on the local and export markets." Jamaican traditional,...

The Ministry of Commerce, Science and Technology will be hosting its first National Innovation Awards ceremony on November 24 to recognize outstanding achievements in Science and Technology. The event will be held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Team Leader for the Popularization of Science and Technology at the Scientific Research Council, Andrea Heavens, outlined that the...

Ryan Gentles of Excelsior Primary School is the national winner of the Primary Education Support Project (PESP) Third Annual Literacy Kids ('Lit Kids') competition. Young Gentles also finished first as the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture's Region One winner. He was among six winners in the Ministry's Regions. Mickella Anderson of Morant Bay Primary copped second place and emerged...

CARICOM Leaders have restated their call for a lower than 39 per cent reduction in the price paid for sugar imported into Europe from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and have emphasized the need for an extension of the transition period to allow sugar producing countries to adjust to the changes. The regional Heads including Jamaica's Prime Minister P.J. Patterson,...

Prime Minister P. J Patterson has announced a project to construct specialised retirement villages across the island, which he said, would be targeted at returning residents. "I am about to launch, through the National Housing Trust in conjunction with the building societies, a range of retirement villages throughout Jamaica in choice locations," the Prime Minister said. He was addressing the...

A total of 19 reclassified high schools across the island have been awarded grants totalling $62.5 million under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture's Secondary Enhancement Programme (SEP) for the 2005/06 academic year. The cheques were handed over to the school officials on Tuesday (Nov. 22) at the Ministry's National Heroes Circle offices in Kingston. The institutions receiving the...

Donald Buchanan, Minister of Water and Housing today (Nov. 23) signed two contracts valued at approximately $126 million, to begin second phase works on the three flagship projects identified under the National Irrigation Development Programme. The first phase of the programme, Contract C, was signed nearly a year ago, and saw the construction for the Pedro Plains Irrigation System, which...

The House of Representatives yesterday (Tuesday Nov. 22) approved a motion establishing a special Select Committee to review the recommendations of the Clarke Committee on pay and conditions for Members of Parliament. National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips who moved amendments to the resolution said a report was to be made to the House on or before January 31, 2006.The...

The gradual liberalisation of the Jamaican economy has brought about significant changes that have redounded to the benefit of the Jamaican consumer and entrepreneur. This, according to Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies. Among the changes that have come as a result of a less stringent economy he said was the elimination of price control in the local marketplace,...

The Consultation Code of Practice for the Public Sector, cited as a road map that the people of Jamaica have set for the transformation of the public service, was officially launched at the Terra Nova Hotel yesterday (Nov. 22). Delivering the main address at the launch, Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman said the Consultation Code represented "part of a continuum...

Regional associations of human resource managers and practitioners have merged to form one body, which will seek to seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges presented by the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). This new organization, called Human Resource Management of the Caribbean (HRMAC), was formally launched on November 19 during the staging of the annual conference of the...

Jamaica has been chosen as the site for the permanent headquarters of the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists (CAP). President of CAP, Ellen Campbell Grizzle, made the official announcement at an awards ceremony held last night (Nov. 22) at the University of Technology, to highlight outstanding innovations in pharmacy. The country was given the green light to establish CAP headquarters after...