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JAMAICA: Minister Shaw commends Salada’s $200-Million investment in Coffee Industry

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#Kingston, November 20, 2018 – Jamaica – Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, is lauding Salada Foods for injecting $200 million into the coffee industry, noting that the development will provide a secure market for farmers.

The company is purchasing 25,000 boxes of local coffee under a pilot project, with the objective of identifying a long-term business option.  A total of $100 million will be paid directly to farmers, and the balance used to process coffee berries to green beans, which is local raw material used by Salada to manufacture instant-coffee products.

Salada’s response is as a result of a fall-off in purchases of Blue Mountain Coffee by traders in Japan, which is the main market for the island’s premium brand.  Due to a high inventory of the produce on the Japanese market, the traders have refused to meet the price being demanded by the growers.

Speaking at a joint press briefing on Monday (November 19) at The Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston to outline details of the plan, Minister Shaw said Salada Foods must be commended for the “foresight and vision in taking a potential crisis and turning it into what may end up being a golden opportunity”.  He noted that the company is replacing some of its imported coffee with locally grown beans.

Describing the move as “bold and innovative,” Mr. Shaw said it demonstrates the value of market-driven initiatives that will see Salada Foods benefiting from a consistent supply of local green beans to suit their manufacturing needs.  He urged the farmers to make good use of this avenue to offload their produce even as “we work together to (see) better days”.

“The company’s intention to provide a guaranteed avenue for our farmers to offload their product goes a long way towards settling the concerns of farmers, who need additional markets to ensure that the hard work they put into cultivating this world-renowned agricultural asset will be sold, ensuring their livelihoods and investments,” Mr. Shaw told the gathering.

He assured investors and farmers in the industry that the Government is committed to working with stakeholders towards “charting a path of even greater success”.   He noted that the Economic Growth Council (ECG) and the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), among other groups, are looking at long-term solutions for the sector.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Daryl Vaz, who attended the press conference, also hailed the move by Salada Foods, noting that it has brought relief to coffee farmers.

Chairman of Salada Foods, Patrick Williams, said the coffee sector is very important to the Jamaican economy, hence his company’s initiative to ensure stability in the sector.

Meanwhile, General Manager at the company, Dianna Blake Bennett, said that all the necessary parameters are in place to ensure the success of the initiative, including the hiring of a consultant with credible experience.  She said that come Tuesday (November 20), there will be a rollout of depots in designated communities in the Blue Mountain, and she encouraged farmers to “bring their cherries and we will certainly purchase them”.

 

Release: JIS

Contact: Garfield L. Angus

Photo Captions: 

Header: Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw (second left), engages with (from left) Executive Director of the Economic Growth Council, Aubyn Hill; General Manager of Salada Foods, Dianna Blake Bennett; and the company’s Chairman, Patrick Williams, following a joint press briefing on Monday (November 19), at The Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston, to outline details of Salada Foods’ injection of $200 million into the local coffee industry.

Insert: Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, addressing a joint press briefing on Monday (November 19), at The Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston, to outline details of Salada Foods’ injection of $200 million into the local coffee industry for the purchase of 25,000 boxes of beans.

 

Photos by Mark Bell  

 

 

 

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CARPHA Progresses to Eligibility for the First Disbursement of Pandemic Funding

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Following a landmark Public Signing Ceremony for the Pandemic Fund (PF) Technical Cooperation Agreement (“Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” [RG-T4387] Project) on December 14, 2023, in Trinidad, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continues to progress towards the start of implementation.

 CARPHA fulfilled the IDB’s nine conditions prior to first disbursement, achieving full eligibility on March 15, 2024, and is now eligible for the first disbursement. This milestone achievement in just 3 months after the signing speaks to the commitment of both CARPHA, the Executing Agency, and IDB, the Implementing Entity, toward the regional PF project with the objective of supporting the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) surveillance & early-warning systems (EWS), laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and in countries.

Since the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and as part of the conditions prior to first disbursement, CARPHA has achieved the following key outputs (i) the development of the PF Project Operations Manual, Multi-annual Execution Plan, Procurement Plan, Financial Plan, Procedure for CARPHA’s Financial Reporting System; (ii) vacancy announcements for two tranches of consultants with the subsequent hiring of five (Technical Coordinator, Financial Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Operations Officer and Project Operations Coordinator) and (iii) the establishment of the Project Execution Unit (PEU) and Project Execution Steering Committee (PESC). The dedicated PEU will be responsible for execution according to its planned timelines, which will be led by the Dr. Lisa Indar, the Project Director (CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division).

 CARPHA, as the lead regional public health agency and an expression of Caribbean Cooperation in Health is mandated by its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to support its 26 CARPHA Member States (CMS) in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats. The Agency works closely with regional and international agencies and uses regional mechanisms, surveillance systems, and networks for coordinating its public health response work.

In July 2023, the PF Governing Board announced that CARPHA’s regional entity proposal, entitled ‘Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Strengthened Integrated Early Warning Surveillance, Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development’ was successfully selected for the first round of financing. It was one of only 19 proposals selected from over 300 submissions and the only regional project. The three priority areas in the proposal are: (i) Comprehensive disease surveillance and EWS, (ii) Laboratory systems and (iii) Human resources and public health and community workforce capacity.

This project is expected to begin implementation in March 2024, starting off with a blended onboarding session. A Stakeholder Meeting with countries is tentatively planned for July 2024.

CARPHA remains dedicated to working together with the IDB, CARPHA Member States and the Pandemic Fund to successfully implement the regional proposal geared toward reducing the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean.

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Men who had Murdered Man, Marley Higgs’ cell phone face Court

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Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

The prosecution intends to try two young North Caicos men, both age 21 for the offense of possession of property of a murdered man, property that was stolen and landed in their possession.

The phone belonged to Peureton ‘Marley’ Higgs, who is believed to have been an innocent gunned down at his apartment complex in the Glass Shack area in a spray of bullets on February 2 that killed another man and wounded two others, including a ten-year-old little girl.

The cell phone was described as white in colour, an iPhone, in a hard black case. 

On Monday, March 18th, JEFFVANO HANDFIELD of North Caicos pleaded not guilty to the offense, and the matter was adjourned to April 2024. He was granted bail in the matter.

A second North Caicos man was charged similarly.  

SARENO CAPELLAN aka, Kino Williams is the second individual brought before the court pertaining to the said cellphone. He appeared in court a week after JEFFVANO HANDFIELD, the date being Monday March 25th 2024.

The case for the Crown is that both men sometime in February of this year possessed the cellphone knowing or suspecting it to be stolen property.

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Supreme Court Closed for Easter

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NOTICE is hereby given that the Easter Recess shall commence on Friday 29th April, 2024 and end on Friday 5th April, 2024. During the Easter Recess Judge Selochan will be available to deal only with matters that are urgent or require prompt attention.

Court Business During the Easter Recess

A person who wishes to have a matter heard during the recess must file a certificate of urgency along with an affidavit, which must set out the reasons why the matter is urgent or requires prompt attention. The matter will not be listed during the recess unless the Judge deems it fit for urgent hearing.

Opening Hours During the Easter Holiday

The Supreme Court’s last sitting day for the first term is Thursday 28th March, 2024. The Court will officially resume sittings on Monday 8th April, 2024. The Supreme Court Offices in both Grand Turk and Providenciales will continue to operate while the Court is not sitting during the recess.

The Court Office will be closed on the following public holidays:

  • Friday 29th March, 2024 (Good Friday) CLOSED
  • Monday 1st April, 2024 (Easter Monday) CLOSED

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