Minister Shaw Impressed with Jamaica Producers Group’s Operations at Kingston Wharves Complex

Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, has praised Jamaica Producers Group Limited (JPG) on the quality of its operations at the Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) complex.

Speaking with JIS News after touring the facility on Friday (August 24) withChief Executive Officer, Jeffery Hall, and other senior managers, Mr. Shaw said he was “very impressed” with JPG’s tremendous growth in agriculture and manufacturing.

He said these areas are “vertically integrated”, while noting the extent of banana, cassava and plantain cultivations, among other crops, at the entity’s farms, and operations at their manufacturing facilities, in St. Mary.

“So you have (the) growing (component), you have processing (aspect) and then, of course, you have this logistics hub here at Kingston Wharves, where…tremendous expansion is taking place,” the Minister said.

Mr. Shaw contended that developments at the port demonstrate the value of Jamaica’s location in the region and its ability to improve its capacity and efficiency to handle international cargo, citing, as an example, JPG’s motor vehicle trans-shipment arrangements. 

“That is an excellent example of the kind of initiative that this company is showing and it has greater potential for growth. There are other countries that we are competing with in the region such as the Dominica Republic, Panama and Cuba. But it is clear that Jamaica is holding its own and has great potential for significant expansion,” he told JIS News.

Against this background, Mr. Shaw said JPG’s growth trajectory “will mean many more jobs.

“We have been discussing many other possibilities such as setting up an agro- processing centre, which will involve work with small producers who can rent space and do their own processing of foods, wines, sauces (and) spices. The possibilities are great and I commend the company and look forward to working with them,” he added.

Jamaica Producers Group Limited and its subsidiaries engage in the cultivation, production, marketing, and distribution of fresh produce and juices in Jamaica and internationally.

The company is also involved in logistics, transportation, port terminal operations, shipping, and land management activities