Plantain – green or ripe, fried, boiled or baked – is a welcome treat on the Jamaican breakfast or dinner plate, and is a produce that is being prioritised by the Banana Board as it looks to meet market demand and increase earnings from the crop. General Manager of the Banana Board, Janet Conie, tells JIS News that the revenue...

Several Rio Tinto Alcan Scholarship beneficiaries have expressed gratitude for the opportunity they have been afforded through the provision, to pursue training and career development in agriculture. The scholarship, which was initiated by Rio Tinto Alcan Incorporated in 2010, provides funding support for needy youth in St. Catherine, Manchester, and St. Ann who are members of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs...

Restorative Justice Centres, which offer services to resolve conflicts, have noted an increase in referrals from the courts and communities across the island. This was disclosed by Restorative Justice Coordinator, Andriene Lindsay. She tells JIS NEWS that conferences, in particular, have exceeded their target by 269 cases. “The target for this year is 2,200 conferences and for the second quarter...

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has upended normal life, but it has also unleashed the resilience and entrepreneurial spirit for which Jamaicans are known. Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Harold Davis, tells JIS News that the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) recorded its highest number of persons registering new businesses in 2020/21. Entrepreneurs and investors...

Prominent philanthropist and business woman,  Icylin M. Golding, will be officially installed as Custos of St. Catherine on Tuesday (November 23). It is a position that comes after a lifetime of service to the parish as a community stalwart, business operator, board member of several schools, including Chairman of the Old Harbour High, provider of scholarships for needy and promising...

The spirits of residents of St. Monica’s Home for the Elderly in St. Catherine, have been lifted, following a refurbishing project at the institution by Civil Servant of the Year 2020, Marie Hall. Under the project, dubbed ‘Legend of Gold’, Miss Hall and her son, Richard Smith, gave a facelift to the building and made the bathrooms safer and more...

Medical doctor, Melissa Lalah, has a lot to be grateful for, including the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund Scholarship she received to complete her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree. “I received the scholarship the week before my final exams in my last semester of medical school. I had sent out many applications to...

Principal of the Somerton Primary and Infant School in St. James, Glendon Brydson, says that the return to face-to-face classes at the school has gone well so far. Mr. Brydson told JIS News that the school, which pushed back its reopening from Monday (November 8) to Tuesday (November 9) due to inclement weather, welcomed more than 80 per cent of...

The Jamaica Association of Social Workers (JASW) is calling on community members to speak out against acts of violence and abuse against vulnerable persons, particularly children. “There is a culture of silence in our communities that needs to be broken, and all citizens have a part to play,” says Project Lead, Professionalisation and Regulation at the JASW, Warren Thompson, in...