Gov’t Looking to Reduce Duties on Imported Food

The Government is reviewing duties on imported food with the aim of reducing these charges.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce are working together on the review.

He was making his contribution to the 2025/2026 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday (March 20).

Dr. Holness noted that a significant portion of the money spent on imported food is due to taxes, including import duties, stamp duties and General Consumption Tax (GCT), in addition to compliance fees and an environmental levy.

He declared that the Government will not increase the cost of food with more taxes.

The Prime Minister said the recommendations from the working group are being reviewed by the Finance Ministry for implementation.

The Prime Minister pointed out that farmers will not be affected by the reduction of import food prices.

“I want to emphasise that these measures will not hurt our farmers. In fact, we will be increasing the Ministry of Agriculture’s $1.2-billion Production and Productivity Programme to help our farmers navigate any uncertainty,” Dr. Holness said.

He went on to highlight that the Government has consistently supported local farmers through the Agri Care initiative and has since provided more than $4 billion in direct support to them.

Regarding consumers, Dr. Holness said commodity price reports will be published biweekly through traditional and social media to keep the public informed and avoid being exploited by distributors, wholesalers, and supermarkets through inflated prices.