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The Manchester Chamber of Commerce and the Social Development Commission (SDC) will, on Thursday July 23, kick off a series of seminars, which will examine opportunities outside of the bauxite sector. Under the theme: 'Life After Bauxite', the sessions will look at agriculture/greenhouse technology; tissue culture; community tourism; and the knowledge-based industry. This Thursday's event, which will be held at...

Minister of Energy and Mining, Hon James Robertson, has announced several multi-million dollar non-metallic minerals mining investments for Jamaica. Mr. Robertson was elaborating on his budget presentation at a JIS Think Tank on Thursday (July 2). He said that export of aggregates and river demand materials stood to earn millions and boost employment in St. Thomas, as plans for the...

The Ministry of Energy and Mining and representatives from Environmental Groups are describing as productive, a meeting hosted recently to discuss mining-related issues. The meeting which was held on June 24 provided an opportunity for the environmentalists to give an overview of the Cockpit Country, especially its ecosystem services ('use values' such as water supply, carbon sequestration and climate regulation;...

The Ministry of Energy and Mining today (May 28) hosted a special Public Sector Energy Stakeholders meeting in a bid to encourage more communication and collaboration among the key players in Jamaica's energy sector. Minister James Robertson and the stakeholders identified and discussed ongoing energy related initiatives being undertaken by public agencies as well as proposed initiatives to come on...

Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding has said that the Government will have to reposition ownership of the country's bauxite/alumina operations, in addition to addressing problems such as energy and technology, before any revival in the industry. "We are going to have to reposition our bauxite/alumina operations, not only in terms of the technology and investments that have to be...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, has proposed food processing as an alternative to the disabled bauxite/alumina industry as a major foreign exchange earner. "The implosion we have had with the bauxite industry is a wake up call for all of us," Mr. Shaw told Tuesday night's first in a series of Post Budget Town Hall...

The Government is pursuing talks with overseas stakeholders, in a bid to determine the fate of the three bauxite plants whose operations have been scaled down. Activities at the plants - West Indies Alumina Company's (WINDALCO) operations in Ewarton, St. Catherine and Kirkvine, Manchester, and Alumina Partners (ALPART) in Nain, St. Elizabeth - were scaled down earlier this year by...

The Government is holding discussions with a group of potential investors from the United States, which has expressed an interest in mining, and exporting minerals from the island. Minister of Mining and Telecommunications Derrick Smith made the disclosure to JIS News. "Yesterday morning (March 26) I had a meeting with potential investors who are looking at three locations in Jamaica...

The alumina refinery company, Jamalco, is partnering with the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), to upgrade the literacy and numeracy skills of residents in mining communities in Clarendon and Manchester. The programme, which was launched at Harmons All-age School in Manchester last week, is being funded by the Alcoa Foundation, at a cost of US$100,000 and is designed to...

Jamaica's earnings from the bauxite levy are not expected to yield anywhere near the projected $6 billion for the 2009/10 fiscal year, consequent on the global economic downturn, Finance and the Public Service Minister, Audley Shaw, has said. "We will be lucky if we earn half of that," Mr. Shaw told the launch of the FINPYME company competitiveness programme, at...

Fifteen years ago, Lydford Mining was granted an exploration permit for the mining of limestone. Since then, they have expanded and diversified to become one of Jamaica's most successful non-metallic mining ventures. Owner Leo Cousins recalls that the company began shipping bulk limestone and, subsequently, expanded into processing and exporting ground calcium carbonate for increased income gains from the valued...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Mining and Telecommunications, Laurence Broderick, has proposed that rehabilitated bauxite lands be used for establishing dormitory settlements, as well as for farming and forestry. "We are now in the Ministry seriously looking on the development of new townships. We are going to (look at) what they need for hotel workers, because we have...