Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association

the manufacturing sector. As such, we have been advocating for a number of impediments to be removed, especially relating to trade facilitation and the cost for logistics to move your goods from the port and have them shipped abroad; and bureaucracy - when it comes to the different licenses, permits, and charges that are applicable, and just the timeline to actually gets things done, not just to import but to export. In addition to that, there are other areas required to support the industry. We continue to advocate for competitive rates, and our intent is to have rates at about five percent going to the manufacturing and export sector. “We look at issues such as infrastructure because one of the needs, especially from the micro and small manufacturers and exporters, is for retrofitted, concessionary-type factory space. But the strong focus of our new president is export expansion. We have recently developed a 10-point plan which includes a number of initiatives around stimulating exports, and these will now be presented to the government with the hope of Executive Director, Imega Breese McNab