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SRC Continues to Provide Technical Assistance to Companies

June 2, 2005

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The Scientific Research Council (SRC) continued its mission of lending technical assistance to many individuals and companies, which engaged the Council’s services throughout the 2004/05 fiscal year.
This is reported in Ministry Paper 52, tabled by Commerce, Science and Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell, in the House of Representatives, yesterday (June 1). The document detailed the performance of the SRC in 2004/05 and outlined the focus for the 2005/06 fiscal year. Seeking to achieve its objective of increasing customer satisfaction and welfare through the provision of science and technology solutions, the SRC rendered technical assistance by its reassessment of reports for 11 existing factories and the inspection of two new factories. The Council also gave assistance to 25 rural food processing enterprises in completing their work programmes, which had been adversely affected by Hurricane Ivan last year.
Students at secondary and tertiary institutions were afforded the SRC’s help in the preparation of food products, while clients of the Council were offered assistance in sensory evaluation, product scales up and schedule processing, as well as analytical services and consultancy/advice provided to clients in the areas of water/waste water and food, upon their request. In respect of analytical services, some 734 samples were analysed by the SRC.
During the fiscal year, assistance was also given to five non-governmental organisations in preparation of proposals submitted to the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) for funding; a proposal for a pond system at a large food processing company was completed; and a proposal was prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture for a client of the SRC to construct a bio-digester at a facility in Bodles, St. Catherine.
The SRC prepared and submitted wastewater treatment system proposals for two clients, the EFJ and the Cleaner Development Mechanism regional facility. The former was prepared and approved for the system to be inputted into government-owned children’s homes, while the latter was a proposal for the system to be constructed for energy production at specific locations across the island.
On the matter of the provision of training services, the Ministry Paper reported that the SRC achieved accreditation from the National Committee on Technical Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) for juice and meat processing and canning training programmes. Subsequently, 50 persons completed training programmes in meat and juice processing as well as food additives.
Additionally, training was provided by the SRC to German students in nitrogen analysis and anaerobic wastewater treatment, and three nutraceutical awareness workshops were conducted in the parishes of St. Catherine and Clarendon, where farmers and community members participated.
In its development of new products, inclusive of goods and services, the SRC hardened 1,120 ginger plantlets and delivered close to 4,000 ginger plantlets as well as over 250 sugar cane plantlets to clients. Some 1,500 banana plantlets were hardened for the Banana Export Company and 30 coffee plantlets were sold.
A contract was also signed with the farmers association to produce 4,500 plantlets of sweet potato cultivars.

Last Updated: June 2, 2005

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