The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is advising consumers to abide by their motor-vehicle warranty to reduce unsatisfactory customer service experiences with retailers. “Consumers need to read the warranty that they get from the motor-vehicle dealers thoroughly. For example, a warranty might say bring back the item within two days if it is not working, and that’s what the consumer should...

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is reporting that it secured $30.9 million on behalf of aggrieved consumers in 2018. Director of Communications, CAC, Latoya Halstead, told JIS News that the amount represented a 43.8 per cent increase, compared to the $21 million recovered in 2017 by the agency. Ms. Halstead said the increase reflected the efforts of the agency to...

The Government has earmarked approximately $1.75 billion to continue work under the Jamaica Foundations for Competitiveness and Growth Project. The objective of the undertaking is to strengthen Jamaica’s business environment to facilitate private-sector investment by enhancing competition; facilitating strategic private investments; strengthening the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises; and financing policy and societal sensitisation through project implementation, monitoring and...

The Government will be intensifying measures to address challenges in the agriculture sector and improve the market potential of Jamaica’s fresh produce locally and internationally. This will be facilitated under the Agriculture Competitiveness Programme Bridging Project, which has been allocated some $326 million in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives. Several key strategies will be...

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) will be staging a Food Safety and Sanitation Workshop for food business operators on March 7. The session will be held at the JBDC’s Incubator and Resource Centre, Unit 10A, 76 Marcus Garvey Drive, starting at 9:00 a.m. It is open to all persons in the field of agro-processing, from manufacturers to restaurateurs, and...

The Government has allocated approximately $628 million to the Essex Valley Irrigation Infrastructure Development Programme, which aims to boost the yield of crops in the arable St. Elizabeth region by at least 90 per cent. The money has been set aside in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Being implemented by the Ministry of Industry,...

The Government plans to lobby the support of the international community, particularly the United States, for the Jamaican cannabis industry’s development. Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, says this partly stems from reluctance by local banks to fund the industry’s growth, due to fear of international de-risking, citing this as a major impediment with serious economic implications...