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The Government plans to spend just over $21 million this year on plant technologies, under a project in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce. The Plant Breeding and Diagnostics Technologies project, which is being financed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), aims at using radiation to induce mutation and develop plants with desirable characteristics, such as resistance to...

Construction and operation of 16 pilot research mini houses in four locations, are among this year's targets for the production and marketing of greenhouse technology products by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure revealed that the Government has allocated approximately $94 million for the Agricultural Productivity Project (greenhouse), formerly the Modern Agricultural Technology and Capacity...

The Ministry of Transport and Works is spending just over $3 million this year to continue improvements to the Washington Boulevard corridor in Kingston, to reduce traffic congestion. The project is aimed at reducing economic loss and high fuel consumption, due to the congestion and also the vehicle operating cost (VOC) due to poor ride quality. Improvements in travel time...

The Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC) has received approximately $54 million in Government grants, to help reduce the number of failures of business start-ups with value-added potential. According to the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, the grant will go towards the Incubator and Entrepreneurial Production Enterprises Project in the Ministry of Industry, Investments and Commerce.Supported by funding from the International Fund...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade(JFB) is to receive $136 million this year, to deal with capital needs, such as repairs to fire stations and acquisition of equipment and protective gear. Of this amount, $26 million is to be used to rehabilitate vehicles; $45 million to acquire firefighting equipment; $60 million to repair fire stations; and $5 million to rehabilitate fire hydrants....

The work to sustain production of high-quality marine resources has received a multi-million dollar injection, figures contained in the Estimates of Expenditure for the 2009/10 fiscal year reveal. The estimates show that Government intends to spend approximately $79.3 million for the enhancement of environmental stewardship and management of marine resources by strengthening fishers' organisations. The project, titled: 'Improving Jamaica's Agricultural...

Government has earmarked $20.9 million for institutional strengthening within the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. The initiative, implemented in January 2008, seeks to strengthen the PIOJ's capacity for long-term sustainable development planning and policy formulation, as well as, monitor Jamaica's positioning for developed country status by...

A sum of $379 million has been allocated for the Office of the Cabinet's Public Sector Modernisation Programme II. As contained in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the allocation will provide for the continuation of the modernisation programme in the Ministry of Education and regional education agencies, national inspectorate agencies, the Forestry Department, Fisheries...

The National Hazard Management in Urban Coastal Areas project has received $27.4 million in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. The project's overall goal is to strengthen disaster risk management in towns and cities located in coastal areas in Jamaica. Specific objectives include producing a comprehensive multi-hazard disaster management plan for towns and...

A total of $268 million has been allocated to the Forestry and Wildlife Programme in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. As stated in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives, the objective of this programme is to rehabilitate, protect and manage the national forest resources, estimated at 110,000 hectares or 10 per cent of the...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, on Monday April 6, announced several changes to the executive arm of his 19-month old administration. The announcement, which was made a day before the State Opening of Parliament, sees the complement of Cabinet Ministers, being reduced by two to now stand at 17, following the resignation of three members, and one promotion. The move also...

The Government will be spending over $55 million, this fiscal year, from two European Union (EU) funded programmes aimed at reducing poverty. The Poverty Reduction Programme II (Capacity Building and Training for Communities) has $51 million to alleviate poverty through sustainable growth, with emphasis on the promotion of community safety and the reduction of criminal behaviour in volatile and vulnerable...