More than $131 million has been allocated to the Jamaica Banana Accompanying Measures (JBAMS) project to combat poverty and improve earnings in banana-dependent areas. Details are contained in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is slated to run from October 2013 to September 2017, aims to improve the productivity and resilience of...

The Agricultural Competitiveness Programme has received an allocation of $180 million to improve the sector’s performance on the national and international markets. Details are outlined in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project aims to increase capacity of small and medium farmers to access national and international markets, improve the performance of the country’s...

More than $59 million has been allocated to strengthen the resilience of persons engaged in agriculture and people living in coastal areas. The provision is provided for in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which commenced in October 2012 and is slated to end December 2017, aims to increase livelihood security of the...

An allocation of $4 million has been set aside to strengthen the resilience of fishing communities against climate change. Details for the ‘Promoting Community-Based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector’ project are outlined in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries has implemented the initiative, which is expected...

A total of 1,440 children from inner-city communities islandwide are to benefit from Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) clinics next fiscal year. To be held in 26 schools/centres, the clinics will be carried out under the Jamaica Integrated Community Development Project. The project has been allotted $700 million in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure to carry out this task and...

Youth from selected inner-city communities are to benefit from internships under the Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s (JSIF) Poverty Reduction Programme next fiscal year. A sum of $349.8 million has been set aside in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure for this and other initiatives under the project. The selected young persons are to also benefit from development workshops to be offered....

Construction of a fire station on Barnett Street in Montego Bay, St. James, is to commence next fiscal year. A total of $286 million has been provided in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure for this and other initiatives under the Jamaica Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project. The money will also be used to provide two pumper trucks for the Jamaica Fire...

More schools across the island are to benefit from the construction of 26 sanitation blocks this fiscal year. A sum of $200 million has been set aside in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure to carry out this activity under the School Sanitation Project. The project aims to replace pit latrines with flush toilets in order to reduce the contamination of...

The Government is slated to make nearly $116 billion in payments on investment instruments next fiscal year. This sum is contained in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The allocations include $75.9 billion for repayment on Jamaica-dollar benchmark investment notes; $15.24 for partial redemption of Government-issued treasury bills, pursuant to the Treasury Bills Act, for...