Caribbean News
No shortage of Jamaican produce says Minister
#KINGSTON, April 1 (JIS): The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries is assuring that there is no shortage of local agricultural produce to supply the domestic market.
Speaking at a digital press briefing on Tuesday (March 31), Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, said there are adequate supplies of meat, eggs, and fresh food, including vegetables, fruits and tubers.
“Our farmers are on the job. They have not stopped working and [as such] there are plentiful supplies,” he said.
Mr. Hutchinson informed that egg production is approximately 22 per cent higher over last year, noting that the country is averaging approximately 15 million eggs per month, which is adequate to supply normal demand.
He said this level of production is expected to be maintained until the end of May.
Additionally, Mr. Hutchinson said consultations with pig industry stakeholders indicate that there are adequate supplies of pork in the marketplace and sufficient animals in the system for slaughter for the next few months, pointing out that “this will be adequate to meet normal demand for this product”.
He further said chicken meat production will average approximately 2.7 million kilogrammes per week for the next nine weeks, up to early May 2020.
“At this time, the industry is not seeing any immediate factors that will cause any significant disruption in its capacity to continue production beyond this point or to prevent the conversion of the chickens now in the field and being hatched in the next three weeks from being processed,” he said.
The Minister informed that chicken represents approximately 80 per cent of the ratio meat protein supplied to and consumed by local consumers.
Mr. Hutchinson said efforts will be made to reduce issues of bottlenecks and disruption in distribution if and when these arise.
He added that the Ministry is working with the private sector to rationalise and manage excess production of meats and eggs to ensure continued support to local industries and increased demand and movement of these products.
Mr. Hutchinson advised that the Ministry is working with stakeholders in the various value chains to ensure that food supplies are maintained and inventories are being monitored.
Additionally, he informed that the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has conducted an assessment of the country’s supply of selected critical agricultural produce and is reporting that, by all indications, vegetables, condiments, fruits, roots and tubers are and will be in normal supply.
“Vegetable production remains in good supply, with the exception of the exotics (broccoli and cauliflower) and coloured bell peppers. Vegetables will remain in good supply for the period March to May.
“Fruits available are cantaloupe, melon, papaya, pineapple, banana, plantain, Otaheite apple, star apple and mango. Fruits will be in their usual abundance for the reporting period of March to May,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hutchinson is urging Jamaicans to utilise local produce and products that are available and may end up being in excess supply.
“RADA is also encouraging the public to consume these produces to boost the immune system against the COVID-19 virus and to reduce food loss and waste at this time when essential vitamins and nutrients are needed to guard against COVID-19,” he said.
JIS News by CHRIS PATTERSON
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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