JAMPRO Facilitating Marketing Activities to Attract Investments

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) has been facilitating several marketing activities as part of ongoing efforts to attract investments and promote local products.

This is being pursued through engagements such as trade shows, conferences and international missions that are tailored for specific target investors and designed to gain access to existing markets.

JAMPRO’s President, Diane Edwards, told JIS News that, come November, a delegation will travel to Cuba to participate in the Havana international trade fair called ‘Fihav’.

The event is the biggest such in Cuba and the second largest in Latin America, with more than 1,400 foreign companies from some 65 countries participating.

“One of the programmes that we have that is really reaping success is our outreach into the Cuban market, because we have someone stationed in Cuba who is helping us to navigate the bureaucracy, regulations, accreditations and all the paperwork that is necessary to get our products into that market,” Miss Edwards said.

She added that five local companies have already been accredited to supply to the Cuban market.

Come July 10, JAMPRO will be hosting its second Agricultural Information Forum to promote the investment opportunities that are available in the agribusiness sector and allow persons to understand the benefits and support systems they can access through the various agencies of government.

The President noted that the forum will also engage persons operating in the sector, companies pursuing investment prospects, or persons who have land and capital and are seeking areas in which they can invest.

She indicated that the recently held Jamaica Investment Forum was another marketing thrust staged to connect with new investors, in order to attract more global interests and advance existing investment prospects.

About 200 investors attended the forum and held over 100 meetings with key sector leaders and government ministers.

The investors travelled from 18 countries across the globe, including Japan, Singapore, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada, the United States of America and the Caribbean.

“So JIF opens doors for us, sets a stage for us, provides a platform for us and now, the next step for JAMPRO is to follow up on those investment interests that we have stimulated and awakened. It is for us to hold the hands of these investors and take them through the next steps in their progression of investment,” Miss Edwards said.

In February, a range of exotic food products and brands offered by local companies were showcased and sampled at the Restaurants Canada Show (RC Show) in Toronto.

GraceKennedy Limited, Southern Fruits and Food Processors Limited, Tijule Company Limited (suppliers of delectable sauces and spices), Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, Country Traders Limited (distributors and roasters of 100 per cent Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee), and Wisynco Group Limited (manufacturers of authentic juices) made up the Jamaican delegation of suppliers attending the show.

“The castor oil programme has borne a lot of fruit and has awakened significant interest in local companies and suppliers of this commodity,” Miss Edwards added.

She explained that JAMPRO guided the creation of an association of castor oil producers that has approximately 80 members, ranging from small and medium enterprises to large companies.

Miss Edwards further informed that last year, JAMPRO took a group of producers to Atlanta to participate in the Bronner Brothers International Beauty Show, which had over 35,000 hairstylists, makeup artists, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, distributors and retailers converging to showcase their products and network.

“The products that were taken to the show were sold off, and what is more important is that we had followed up with a mission to target distributors and now we have distributors for several products and have generated long-term business,” the President disclosed.

She pointed out that, “it is not just about investment and job creation but a holistic approach to economic development that we are stimulating, and it is essential for people to understand that all Jamaicans are stakeholders in this strategy and endeavor”.