Madame Speaker,
It has almost been a year since Jamaica had its first positive case of COVID 19. Like the rest of the world, we have been experiencing significant fall out in our economy as a result of the pandemic. This has dealt a huge blow to many of our sectors including our productive sector, our micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and our consumers.
Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure this afternoon to provide to this Honourable House an update on some of the initiatives that the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce has undertaken to support the fight against COVID-19 and to cushion the impact on the sectors.
Support to the manufacturing sector
The Ministry fully appreciates the challenges that the manufacturing sector faces even as we push to get past the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through to new norms.
The Government is placing particular focus on the manufacturing sector as part of the economic recovery strategy. To this end, we have:
- Established the Manufacturing and Export Growth Team which is co-chaired by other private sector representatives and the Minister of State, in my Ministry, Hon. Dr. Norman Dunn. The team, which comprises government and private sector leaders, has the key responsibility to ensure the development monitoring and implementation of key strategies to increase the contribution made by the manufacturing and export sectors to the Jamaican economy.
- Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) has also been mandated to identify areas for investment in agro-processing, cosmetics, packaging, medical cannabis or marijuana, personal and protective equipment (PPE) and medical disposables and light manufacturing, among others.
Madame Speaker, we fully recognise that a strong manufacturing sector creates a clear path towards economic prosperity, therefore, we have moved to implement measures to grow the sector and strengthen its resilience. We have also sought to enhance the landscape for doing business through several initiatives, some of which were already ongoing but, which became more urgent due to the effects of the pandemic.
Madame Speaker, the Ministry is also pursuing the initiatives under the National Five-Year Manufacturing Growth Strategy, which targets the achievement of $81 billion in manufacturing output by 2025 and an annual average growth rate of three per cent over the five-year period. Among the main components is improving workforce productivity as well as increasing competitiveness and innovation.
Trade Facilitation
Initiatives are being pursued under the Trade Facilitation Reform Programme (TFRP), which will also be key in the economic recovery effort to facilitate ease of doing business.
Madame Speaker, we have seen the transformation of the Jamaica Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT). It is a one-stop shop designed to enable traders and their representatives to transact all business engagements online through a single portal that allows access to the services of all cross-border regulatory agencies, reducing the time and, ultimately, the cost of doing business. Over 8,000 applications have been processed since the system was fully implemented in June of 2020.
Pre-Accreditation Approval Programme for Covid-19 Testing
Madame Speaker, on January 21, 2021, the Ministry, in partnership with the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), launched a pre-accreditation approval programme (PAAP) to increase stakeholder confidence in Jamaica’s COVID-19 testing capacity, assuring sustained quality healthcare outcomes to strengthen the national COVID-19 prevention and containment strategies.
This initiative features a joined-up-government approach with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) and the Ministry of Tourism to provide
reliable COVID-19 testing services to meet the market needs for over
60, 000 COVID-19 tests daily and reduce uncertainties associated with overseas travel. JANAAC’s international recognition for the accreditation of medical and testing labs will provide the assurance that the results generated by these entities can be trusted, thereby, facilitating trade and protecting consumers’ wellbeing.
Madame Speaker, we are encouraging all testing labs to become accredited through this initiative.
Consumer Affairs Commission
As Minister, I have tasked the CAC to scan the external environment to ensure that the various testing facilities that do antigen test, PCR tests and any other approved testing are published and that these tests are appropriately priced so that consumers have access to affordable essential medical diagnostic services. The CAC conducted a recent Market Surveillance exercise for Approved Private Sector Laboratories Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Jamaica as at January 26, 2021. The details will be published in major newspapers later this week.
Madame Speaker, through the Consumer Affairs Commission, we have also taken several action to protect our consumers. The agency has increased its market surveillance and public education. The CAC’s market surveillance was increased by 45% during the period of the pandemic. There has also been increased surveillance and surveys of basic food items as a response to concerns about food access, availability and pricing. The agency has also:
- Conducted twelve (12) Sanitation and Hygiene products surveys of masks, hand sanitizers, gloves, disinfectant antibacterial soaps for the period March to November 2020. These Surveys were published in major newspapers.
- Conducted two (2) Computer Surveys re availability and price for the period October to November 2020.
Madame Speaker, the agency has also
- Heightened public education to report excessive pricing.
- Hosted two virtual meetings with the Distributive Trade to ascertain adequate food supply and capacity during lockdown periods.
Bureau of Standards Jamaica
Through the Bureau of Standards, we have also strengthened our standards development and product testing arrangements to ensure that the products entering the Jamaican market place meet the required standards. In response to COVID the agency has issued a call for manufacturers and distributors of Infrared Thermometers, as well as individuals and companies using these thermometers to submit them for calibration and accuracy checks. Calls have also been issued to manufacturers, distributors and importers of hand sanitizers to take in samples of the products for testing. We urge the entities to respond to the calls.
National Compliance Regulatory Authority
Through the National Compliance and Regulatory Authority we have strengthened the inspection monitoring and enforcement activities in response to the pandemic. As of January 31, 2021:
- There are sixty eight (68) compliant hand sanitizers currently on the market, eight (8) importers of hand sanitizers and five (5) local manufacturers registered with the NCRA. Please visit the website of the NCRA at www.ncra.org.jm for the list of compliant sanitizer products.
- Suppliers of hand sanitizers are registered when there is compliance with conformance testing against the standard and good manufacturing practices observed.
- Over One Hundred and Four Thousand (104,000) products were detained at ports of entry and after inspection, testing and analysis, Fifty Four Thousand (54,000) were compliant and released for sale.
- Over One Hundred and Seventy Six (176) samples have been assessed for compliance to date.
Madame Speaker and members of this Honourable House, our manufacturing producing sector, and export sectors have been among the countries longstanding contributors to economic development. These sectors have shown significant resilience despite the challenges that the pandemic has presented. The Ministry of Industry Investment and Commerce is committed to providing all the support necessary to allow these sectors to continue to recover, grow and increase contribution to GDP.
Madame Speaker I thank you.