Business View Caribbean | November 2019

25 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN NOVEMBER 2019 JAMA I CA MANUFACTURERS AND EXPORTERS ASSOC I AT ION having a strong industry partnership team with the government that will monitor and enforce what we are proposing. In addition, we have a manufacturing strategy that was developed in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries, as well as JAMPRO, which is going to cabinet. We have set ourselves a high target because we want to move our GDP contribution from $66 billion to $81 billion by 2025. That means we need to embark on a three percent annual growth rate in the manufacturing sector.” Ward: “We also play a role in sustainable development, where we take into consideration the environment and the health of our people. We do have initiatives and work in partnership with the government to find the best, most equitable position that works for our people and the manufacturers, themselves - initiatives such as the deposit return scheme that we’re working on, where we have a target of around 80 percent of PEC bottles out of the system by 2025. And we had established a coalition with all our bottle manufacturers and beverage manufacturers to get this target. This is something we’re very proud of, that is now being spearheaded by Recycling Partners of Jamaica.” BVC: What part do members play in advocacy? McNab: “We’ve talked about responsibility of our government and our stakeholders and partners, but one thing our president has been pushing is our own responsibility as members, and as manufacturers. The most recent rhetoric on what we have been advocating for is also for our members to provide effective data that will inform policy designs, because unless we have that data at our fingertips, there’s no way we can adequately represent what the sector needs. “As with everything, transition takes time. But I think the merger has shown members that it was relevant because we had the same objectives. And now, we have a much stronger team that is focused on expanding manufacturing and export. As our profile and visibility in that area has been advanced, we’re seeing we are recognized as Export Manager, D’Jamila Ward