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Commissioner of Police, Owen Ellington, is calling on all farmers to get registered, noting that this is one of the most effective ways to ensure the success of the Agricultural Produce Receipt Book Programme. “I want to appeal to every Jamaican farmer to get registered and get your receipt books,” he implored. The Commissioner was speaking on Tuesday (February 28)...

Jamaica recorded a 26 per cent increase in export earnings between January and September 2011, compared to the corresponding period of 2010, said Jamaica Exporters’ Association (JEA) President, Vitus Evans. Speaking at the JEA’s Breakfast Forum at the Wyndham Hotel, New Kingston, on Tuesday (February 28), Mr. Evans said data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) showed that total...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, has laid out an "integrated 10-point strategy" to be implemented in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2030, Jamaica’s National Development Plan. The plan was unveiled on Tuesday Feb. 28 at a media briefing at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices. Minister Hylton explained that the plan comes as the Ministry...

Eight recently established small businesses have been selected for a major support programme sponsored by the National Baking Company under its ‘Bold Ones: New Champions of Manufacturing’ initiative. The eight, which were announced at a press conference at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston Tuesday February 28, are: Belcour Preserves Limited; Debz Limited; Patwa Apparel; Pretti Slippery; No Brand Chemicals;...

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Hon. Anthony Hylton, said that several initiatives are being pursued to enhance the operational standards of local exporters and ensure the safety of products exported to the United States (US). These initiatives, the Minister said, include a cost-sharing programme of up to 25 per cent of inspection fees; training and technical assistance; and gap analyses...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has re-launched the Agricultural Produce Receipt Book Programme in an effort to curb the nagging problem of praedial larceny. Under the initiative, all registered farmers and vendors are required to issue a receipt, identifiable by a unique number, to anyone who purchases agricultural produce, as proof of payment.   Speaking at the re-launch held...

The latest key indicators of national well-being: ‘health status; education status and labour force quality’ under the Vision 2030 Jamaica - National Development Plan’, has revealed that tertiary level enrolment for 2011 recorded a 3.1 per cent increase over the previous year. Meanwhile,thelabour force quality quarterly survey, showed a 2 per cent improvement, while immunization coverage for children showed a...

State Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Colin Fagan, is assuring that the Government is committed to fast-tracking the local government process. Addressing a special meeting with the Manchester Parish Council in Mandeville last week, Mr. Fagan said the administration wanted to ensure that “the work that was started some time ago…gets to the point...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, is encouraging service clubs to adopt modern methods as part of their programme offerings in order to attract more young people. He noted that while the principles being imparted will always be relevant, it is important that programmes are delivered within the context of contemporary realities. “And so we (have to)...

Minister of Education, Rev. Hon. Ronald Thwaites, said the Ministry will be seeking to attract private capital to fund student loans at the tertiary level. He informed that currently, the Government spends $10 billion on tertiary education annually, which is almost two per cent of the national budget, and comes “close to supplying” about 80 per cent of the cost...

The economy grew by an estimated 1.7 per cent from October to December 2011 when compared with the corresponding period for 2010. This performance brings estimated gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the 2011 calendar year to 1.5 per cent, representing the first annual increase in real GDP since 2007. Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr....

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) has been integral  in  developing a number of programmes to strengthen the island's capacity to effectively deal with climate change. One such project is the Strategic Programme for Climate Resilience (SPCR),  which seeks to address vulnerable areas across Jamaica. There are several components to the programme - improving climate change information and data management;...