The Government is to partner with local fertiliser manufacturer, Newport Fersan (Jamaica) Limited, to establish 186 gardens in public schools across the island. This was disclosed by Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J. C. Hutchinson, during a tour of the company’s Wherry Wharf complex at Newport East, in Kingston on June 14. He...

The Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) is being hailed for facilitating trade between Jamaica and its international partners through the provision of laboratory accreditation services. Director of Science and Technology at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), Dr. Dwight Ramdon, said the JANAAC seal “is like a passport” for local goods to enter the export market. “To have the JANAAC...

A Micro, Small and Medium-size Enterprise (MSME) Division is to be established within the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, said the department will focus on policy development, coordination and consultation. He informed that an organisational specialist has been engaged to prepare the necessary submissions to the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service...

The Government will be conducting a review of the 2013 Micro, Small and Medium-size Enterprises (MSME) and Entrepreneurship Policy. Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda, said the review will be undertaken over the next three months. Among the objectives are to update the policy, create a standard definition of MSMEs in order to improve reporting of...

Jamaica will be pursuing potential business opportunities at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. The country’s Ambassador to Brazil, Her Excellency Alison Stone Roofe, says the Jamaican Embassy is collaborating with agencies, such as Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), on several activities that will also target the Paralympics...

The Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) will commemorate World Accreditation Day, on Thursday, June 9, under the theme: ‘Accreditation: A Global Tool to Support Public Policy’. The celebration includes a week of activities that gets underway on Sunday, June 5, with a national church service at Calvary Gospel Assembly on Molynes Road in Kingston, starting at 10:15 a.m. This...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is expressing confidence that the country’s capacity to export will improve within the next two years. He attributed this to a number of strategies being put in place to enhance Jamaica’s access to international markets. The Prime Minister was addressing an export forum held at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston on...

The Micro Investment Development Agency (MIDA) is to rebrand itself in order to maximize its efforts of facilitating the development of the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector. Speaking with JIS News, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MIDA, Lanville Henry, said the agency is to re-organize and focus on areas such as risk management, collections, debt management, including assessment...

Some 30 Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) are to benefit from grant funding to commercialise their projects under the Innovation Grant from New Ideas to Entrepreneurship (IGNITE) Programme. “New businesses will be targeted under this pilot project, which will last for two years,” said Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda. He was speaking at the...