Caribbean News

JAMAICA: Clarke urges increased investment in agriculture

Published

6 years ago

November 9, 2017

#Jamaica, November 9, 2017 – Kingston – Ambassador Plenipotentiary for Economic Affairs, Dr. Nigel Clarke, is calling for increased investment in agriculture, as there is great demand that is not being satisfied and which the nation has the ability to supply.

“If we focus more on growing our own produce, we would reduce the need to import and satisfy the demands of our markets, which also results in an increase in our gross domestic product (GDP),” he argued.

He was speaking at the Jamaica Employers’ Federation’s (JEF) third annual CEO Breakfast held on Tuesday (November 7) at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston. Dr. Clarke said that while there may be concerns about the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, new technologies are available to protect crops.

“It’s 2017, and with the application of technology and proper infrastructure, there’s no need to be so much at the mercy of droughts and floods as we are today. What we need to do, and what we will be certainly advocating for, is an acceleration of investments in water infrastructure, storage systems, distribution systems and irrigation, because the data suggest that wherever agriculture goes, that’s where Jamaica goes,” he noted.

Dr. Clarke said that agriculture has proven to be influential to the Jamaican market and earnings, and is a key component in the performance of the nation in each quarter. He said the data show that “whenever agriculture does well, Jamaica does well and when agriculture suffers, as was the case in the last quarter… Jamaica suffers. So we need to have a strategic approach to agriculture and double up our efforts in that area”.

“We tend to underestimate how important agriculture is to Jamaica. We’re very much still an agricultural society where agriculture plays a fundamental role in the daily lives of Jamaicans, and if we are to ensure that we can pick up and sustain going forward, we’re going to have to pay serious attention to agriculture,” he noted further.

Meanwhile, Dr. Clarke said the Jamaica economy is moving in the right direction. He noted that all the International Monetary Fund (IMF) targets were met and surpassed during the last financial year, the primary surplus out-turn exceeded the target, and tax revenues outperformed the budget by three per cent, which was the best in several years.

“Approximately 70 per cent or 80 per cent of the people no longer pay income tax on their earnings, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) earnings outperformed the budget by $3 billion. Corporate Tax, General Consumption Tax (GCT) and stamp duty, all indicators of economic activity, are up and ahead of what has been budgeted,” he pointed out.

He noted further that employment stands at record levels, with more than 1.25 million people employed. “This is the most that has ever been employed in the independent history of Jamaica. Unemployment is at 11.3 per cent, which is the lowest it has been in a decade and coming down from 13.5 per cent in 2013,” he said.

“When you see 50,000 jobs being added in a year in Jamaica and most of the jobs going to young people, it is absolutely encouraging that we are moving in the right direction. We have to ensure the earnings of those 50,000 people are spending on goods and services being provided by Jamaicans,” Dr. Clarke said.

Release: JIS

Photo credit: Nationwide Radio

Caribbean News

CARICOM pushes need for Reparations Tribunal at Forum in Geneva

Published

10 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer

Words are in circulation in support for the establishment of an international tribunal, geared towards seeking reparations for centuries long transatlantic slave trade, after a CARICOM official made calls at the third session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) in Geneva, Switzerland.

During day two of the gathering held from April 16 to 19, 2024, David Comissiong, Barbados Ambassador to the Caribbean Community, stated there is a need for the tribunal as there is currently no international court to deal with the issues of reparations.

Commision, like the other members that support his view, according to reports, are aware this won’t be an easy feat, as he expressed that establishing the tribunal would require a “positive decision” by the UN General Assembly, further calling on the officials at the Forum and the UN, to come together through international collaboration and “make this happen.”

The idea creation of the tribunal was born last year 2023, suggested by the PFPAD, now reiterated by Comissiong.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, in a video, addressing the opening of the forum, supported the ongoing calls for respiratory efforts, a sentiment not shared by many.

Mentioning that racism is still an issue in today’s society, Guterres said, “ now we must build on that momentum, to drive meaningful change by ensuring that people of African descent enjoy the full and equal realization of their human rights; by stepping up efforts to eliminate racism and discrimination, including through reparations.”

Caribbean News

CARICOM sends warning as Oil prices creep higher in the Israel v Iran conflict; 14 regional states import energy

Published

11 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

Garfield Ekon
Staff Writer

The recent attack on the Sate of Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran, has delivered growing uncertainty across the Caribbean region, and the rest of the global economy.

Chief among the many concerns, is the free flow of oil from the Middle East, which stands at 31% of daily production for the global economy. At minimum, shipping costs are likely to increase based on the increased risk of military action in the Persian Gulf.

Pressure is also building on US and European insurance clubs to avoid any transaction, including those with China, that involve Iranian crude and additional rerouting of oil and gas shipments in response to Houthi threats, or Allied responses.

According to the Caribbean Community Council of Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), “these developments not only exacerbate the already tense situation but also pose significant threats to regional stability and international peace,” the group warned in a media statement.

It added that the continued cycle of retaliation, including the recent attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel’s “disproportionate response” in Gaza, and the “alarming new dimension of direct confrontations between Israel and Iran, leads to an untenable situation fraught with potential for greater regional conflict and global instability.

“The human toll of this conflict, highlighted by tragic incidents such as deaths and injuries to children, demand an immediate and empathetic response from the global community. It is imperative that there be no further escalation that can lead to more suffering and instability,” it said.

While calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, the regional body underscored that it strongly urges both nations to halt any further military actions that could worsen the situation, endangering not only their own populations but also the broader international community.

“We implore all parties to consider the severe consequences of further conflict and to commit to diplomatic solutions that ensure the safety, sovereignty, and dignity of all people involved,” the CARICOM statement said.

On October 6, 2023, the day before Hamas attacked Israel, the international benchmark Brent crude was trading at $85 per barrel and has been fluctuating at up to $96.

On Thursday, it traded at $91 per barrel. With the exception of gas-rich Trinidad and Tobago, the 14 other countries of CARICOM, are energy importers.

Approximately 93 percent of the region’s energy needs are met by oil imports, which average 13% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Caribbean News

Gov’t Committed to Seeking Reparations for Chattel Slavery – Minister Grange

Published

11 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

KINGSTON, April 16 (JIS):

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says the Jamaican Government remains committed to seeking reparations for the prolonged period of chattel enslavement endured by the African forefathers on the country’s plantations.

Minister Grange said that the historical events of the transatlantic slave trade continue to have a lasting impact on Black communities to this day.

She contended that the ongoing struggles to finance education and healthcare, address poverty and housing issues, respond to economic shocks and climate change impacts, and foster peaceful societies are all rooted in the historical legacy of enslavement.

Minister Grange was addressing a church service on Sunday (April 14) at the Webster Memorial United Church in St. Andrew, where an apology was issued on behalf of the United Reform Church (URC) in the United Kingdom (UK) by Moderator of the Assembly of the URC, Reverend Tessa Henry-Robinson, for the church’s historical involvement in slavery.

“We, the general assembly of the United Reform Church, mindful of our own history and that of our antecedent bodies, wish to confess and apologise for our role in transatlantic slavery and the scars which continue to blight our society, our church and the lives of Black people in our midst and around the globe today,” the apology read.

Minister Grange, in accepting the apology, urged UK churches, particularly those whose representatives were present for the historic apology in Jamaica, to communicate to their government the ethical imperative of admitting culpability through an apology and working with Jamaica to discern the potential avenues for reparations.

She said that the church’s role in the transatlantic slave trade has had significant and enduring effects on Black communities, impacting society, the church itself, and the lives of Black individuals worldwide.

“It is this complicity of the church that gave solace and comfort to the citizens and governments of UK and Europe as they endorsed and defended with their military project, that saw the capture, the torture, the dehumanisation, and devaluation of African people, legacies of which we experience today as racism, white supremacy, and discrimination,” she stated.

“We struggle to build peaceful, stable societies because of the perpetration of violence which was the platform on which enslavement was executed yet, in spite of this, we have been good converts to these same religions. Our people have adopted and adapted the doctrines and rituals of these new religions and in many instances have energised and revitalised them with cultural practices of African spirituality,” the Minister emphasised.

The URC is a community of Christians gathering in local churches across England, Scotland, and Wales, and is part of the global family of Reformed Churches, comprising more than 70 million Christians.

With approximately 42,000 members in around 1,200 congregations, supported by more than 600 ministers, the URC plays a significant role in the spiritual and communal life of its members and the broader community.

CONTACT: BRITNEY STEVENS