Banana and plantain farmers are being encouraged to increase surveillance for pests and diseases that can affect their crops. General Manager of the Banana Board, Janet Conie, told JIS News that preempting diseases and pests with proper preparation can protect farmers’ investments. “Banana being a plant that grows year-round makes it susceptible to diseases, and when a plant is around...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right), exchanges a warm handshake with Vice-President (Operations) Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Isaac Solomon, during a courtesy call on Tuesday (May 16) at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), St. Andrew.

The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) is inviting persons to take advantage of the various initiatives that have been instituted over the years to make the passport application process more efficient. This, as the agency has been experiencing a steady increase in the number of applications for passport being submitted through its various locations across the island in recent...

Jamaica’s groundbreaking Tourism Workers Pension Scheme could become a model for other Caribbean countries, following interest shown by some regional leaders in adopting the initiative. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said that regional heads attending the 41st Caribbean Travel Marketplace held recently in Barbados were “very receptive” to the idea, especially since it has already been successfully implemented in...

Salary increases, totalling $1.7 billion, have been announced for members of the political directorate under the revised public-sector-compensation structure. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, said the adjustments will cover the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25, consistent with the timeline for the wider civil service under the new regime. He made the announcement...

The Bank of Jamaica has given National Commercial Bank (NCB) the approval to pursue three use cases that integrate the services of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA). Those being pursued by the Bank are face-to-face deposit account on-boarding, online deposit account onboarding with biometric authentication and Know Your Customer (KYC) remediation. Minister without Portfolio in the Office of...

The country has seen a reduction in the number of fatal road crashes since the start of the year. Up to May 15, Jamaica recorded 142 road collisions and 155 deaths, which compare to 152 collisions and 171 deaths for the same period last year, representing declines of 10 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively. Minister without Portfolio in...