The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF) has met with the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association to address storage issues being faced by local pig farmers due to the disruption in the market amidst the COVID-19 crisis. The team from the Ministry, led by State Minister Floyd Green, sat down with President of the Association Annabel Williams and Secretary,...

Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, says an additional $1billion has been allocated to the Ministry’s Productivity Incentive Programme (PIP) to assist small farmers in light of challenges being experienced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Shaw said the sum is contained in the early supplementary budget recently tabled in Parliament by Finance and the Public Service...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, on Wednesday (May 13), broke ground for a major redevelopment and expansion project being undertaken by the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) at the Garmex Free Zone complex on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston. The project, which is geared towards providing additional space for manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, among other activities, will entail...

Employees of the Alorica call centre in Portmore, St. Catherine, are being asked to notify the health authorities about household members at greater risk of being severely impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19). This is against the background of an outbreak of the virus at the business process outsourcing company (BPO), which has seen 221 of the entity’s 787 workers, and...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says that 28 of the 96 business process outsourcing (BPO) entities operating on the island have passed inspection. “The remaining institutions have been provided with work plans to improve their infection prevention and control measures,” Dr. Tufton said at a virtual press conference at the Ministry’s office in Kingston on...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says he is confident the measures that have been implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector will make the industry stronger and will position Jamaica as the BPO industry of choice. The Prime Minister, who was speaking at a virtual press conference on Monday...

Registered farmers and fisherfolk have been included in the relevant exemption schedules under the Disaster Risk Management Act. Speaking in the House of Representatives on April 28, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said it was never the intention of the Order to impede agriculture. “In fact, the Order made special provisions for transporting agricultural products, for allowing persons...