JAMAICA Ethanol Processing has shut down its ethanol plant and terminated 31 jobs after 26 years in the business.
The move was completed last week after three consecutive years of rising input costs helped to sever margins and drive the company out of an ethanol market in which it started operating long before the other two operators in Jamaica — Jamaica Broilers Group (JBG) and Petrojam.
This is the conclusion of a two-part interview with former Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton. Part one was published on Sunday, July 10.
DR Christopher Tufton remembers taking heavy flak for the sugar industry divestment programme and the introduction of the Farmers' Markets during his tenure as agriculture and fisheries minister but remains convinced that his actions were justified.
In fact, he marks both projects as among the Government's major achievements that have respectively saved jobs and given consumers and farmers options.
The Jamaican Government has placed an order for sugar from Guyana to avert shortages in that CARICOM country.
Quoting the Agriculture Ministry, the Jamaican Observer yesterday said that it has put in place measures to avert a shortage of sugar on the local market and has urged distributors not to hoard the product.
In a statement Wednesday, the Ministry assured the distributive trade that “adequate arrangements have been made to supply the market until local production comes on stream”.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat Programme Manager for Culture and Community Development, Dr Hilary Brown is of the opinion that the Caribbean needs to do more to strengthen its heritage tourism product.
She believes that “much more could be done” to develop the Region’s natural and built heritage which is an invaluable resource in building Heritage Tourism.
Salutations
I congratulate the Board of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) and its General Manager, Mrs. Marlene Street-Forrest for organizing what portends to be a most exciting Conference.
The timing is opportune as the Caribbean struggles for survival in a changed and most uncertain global economic environment and as the international community struggles to help Haiti rebuild after the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010.
I consider this Conference to be both visionary and timely.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Arising from consultations held in Kingston, Jamaica, January 5-7, the Government of Haiti and representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) agreed on several key project proposals designed to strengthen Haiti’s institutional and technical capacity in three priority areas: housing and settlement development; physical and environmental planning; and infrastructure development and coordination.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is distressed and extremely saddened by the deadly effect of the cholera epidemic currently ravaging the people of its Member State, Haiti.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, particularly those aligned to the Jamaica Bankers' Association (JBA), have pooled human and financial resources in an all-out effort to smash an emerging debit-card scam that is threatening the security confidence of the electronic banking system in Jamaica.
For the first time since the promulgation of the Cybercrimes Act ..., the police ... reported that they cracked a major cybercrime ring, arresting and charging two men for breaching the far-reaching statute.
Kingston, Jamaica, July 20, 2010 – The Jamaica government is focusing on the rollout of a broadband backbone in the short-term to ensure adequate connectivity throughout the island.
Minister with Responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Daryl Vaz, says the move is in keeping with the government’s Vision 2030 National Development Plan, which designates information and communications technology (ICT) as a priority area for development as a major industry and an enabler for all other sectors.
MANDEVILLE, Jamaica (JIS) -- As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) will be staging a regional Caribbean Information and Communication Technology (ICT) road show.
The Jamaica leg of the road show was launched on Wednesday under the theme, 'Harnessing the power of innovation - the engine for ICT-enabled Caribbean Development'.