A total of 14,932 persons are currently registered on the Social Pension Programme, which recorded more than $408 million in benefits paid out during fiscal year 2023/24. Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (May 29). He advised that...

Fishers who are not licensed with the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) are being encouraged to take steps to become compliant with the law. Speaking with JIS News, Principal Director for Fisheries Compliance, Licensing and Statistics Division at the NFA, Dr. Zahra Oliphant, said that “according to the Fisheries Act of 2018, a fisher is defined as someone who is so...

Jamaica’s National Disaster Fund now stands at more than $550 million, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced. This marks a substantial increase from the $100 million in the fund at its inception, said Mr. Holness, who also Chairs the National Disaster Risk Management Council (NDRMC). He noted the Government’s significant strengthening of the country’s disaster preparedness efforts...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, is encouraging more young people to pursue a career in agriculture, noting that the Government will fund their studies. He said that students can access support through the recently announced $100-million annual scholarship programme. “We are also building on the Rio Tinto/Alcan Legacy Fund Agriculture Scholarship,” he noted. The Rio Tinto/Alcan...

An energy policy, aimed at standardising the storage of technology, is now in the conception phase. The Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport is developing the policy, which will address, among other things, the proper storage of lithium-ion batteries, for which more stringent standards will be implemented. Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Brian Richardson, told JIS News that...

The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) is reporting an uptick in diverse fisheries production out-turns, including for sea cucumber and sea moss. Principal Director of the NFA’s Capture Fisheries Division, Stephen Smikle, says the Authority welcomes this level of engagement by local producers. “In recent years, we have seen a rise in non-traditional products like sea moss and sea cucumber, which...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has introduced a pilot programme for the employment of capable persons with disabilities in the Overseas Employment Programme. This initiative involves partnering with the Abilities Foundation, engaging overseas employers, and establishing a support system to assist workers with disabilities during their employment. “For the first time, we have a batch of three farmers...