Conch Cess to Be Reduced By US$0.25 Cents

Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, has announced that there will be a reduction in the cess on local conch from US$0.75 cents to US$0.50 cents per pound, this year.

He made the announcement during a press conference following a tour of the Rainforest Seafoods plant on Slipe Road in Kingston, on Friday, May 6.

Mr. Samuda said the decision arose out of discussions with Ministry officials during which it was determined that the reduction was necessary in order to encourage greater investment in the conch sub-sector.

He further advised that come 2017,“we are going to make sure that the level of investment put into industries, whether conch or citrus or any other form of business activity, will weigh heavily on the degree to which an allocation for quotas are fulfilled.”

Mr. Samuda assured Rainforest and other food suppliers that if they are able to satisfy 75 per cent of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) demand, then a case can be made for their products to enter that market duty free.

“CARICOM is the market that enables us to get the competitive aspects of our business up to speed and then, from there, move into the external market,” he pointed out.

In his remarks, Rainforest Seafoods Managing Director, Brian Jardim, announced plans to expand the entity’s operations by constructing a new facility adjacent to the current plant in Montego Bay.

He also advised that plans targeting the expansion of exports into the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada, the United States and United Kingdom are currently being developed.

Rainforest Seafoods is the Caribbean’s largest supplier of premium quality seafood.

It supplies more than 400 varieties of products to both the local and overseas markets, and provides employment for over 500 persons.