88 August 2016 - Business View Caribbean
ness. It also addresses global connectivity and the re-
quirement for Jamaica to be better inserted into the
global trading system.”
Some economists predict that global growth is go-
ing to be slow, in some places stagnant, for years to
come. Do you agree or disagree with those prognos-
tications?
“There are some clouds on the horizon, but there are
also silver linings. You have to take into account a
range of factors. The United States economy, I believe,
is growing. It will pull Europe along particularly as some
of the trade deals are done. I think that will unleash a
certain amount of economic activity. So, I think it’s a
mixed environment. I think the price of energy will find
equilibrium, because, obviously, it is what is needed to
drive a sustainable energy sector. It will find some sort
of level where producers and consumers have a much
better kind of deal – probably more conducive to driv-
ing global trade. And that will happen because of the
rise of the U.S. energy sector.
“So, I think there are some trends we have to watch.
The economy of the United States is a strong pull fac-
tor for the Jamaican economy given its geo-strategic
location. We don’t think everything will be rosy, but
then it’s very seldom that everything is so aligned in
the global economy. In Jamaica, we have to continue
to modernize and improve the economy and make it
much more competitive, and I think that there’s room
for significant growth.”
Jamaica, historically, has been a net importer of
goods and foodstuffs. Does your Ministry help sus-
tain and nurture home-grown production of goods
and products so that the balance of trade can be-
