Support for manufacturing key to economic recovery, says JMEA

The Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) is calling for a repositioning of the local economy “with deliberate industrial strategies that directly target and support manufacturing capabilities, expansion, and linkages with the rest of the economy” as the country battles the health and economic crises caused by COVID-19.

The organisation said this was important to secure livelihoods and the future wealth of Jamaicans, and in driving productivity and achieving long-term sustainable growth through export expansion and import substitution.

“Our aim is to create a better society for all Jamaicans, where more of our people can move up the labour value chain, where wealth creation would be expanded to more of our people, thus expanding the middle class and reducing the social inequity and poverty within the society,” JMEA President Richard Pandohie said in a press release as the organisation kicked off its observation of National Manufacturers’ Month under the theme ‘Recover and Renew with Manufacturing’.

The JMEA said that a recovery and renewal plan must have manufacturing at its core, as real growth can only be achieved from an innovative, high-value, exporting manufacturing sector.

It said further that manufacturing would always be an essential aspect of wealth creation and building a sustainable economy, and in the efforts to rebuild, Jamaica must continue to seek and take advantage of the opportunities presented.

“We have to be brave and purposeful to move forward. Meeting the challenges of COVID-19 will require a genuine collaborative approach and true alignment, with the vision of creating a dynamic, vibrant sector that produces world-class value-added products desired by consumers across the globe,” Pandohie urged.