Minister Green Urges Acceleration In Implementation Of Trade Facilitation Processes

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, is urging stakeholders in the country’s trade facilitation programme to speed up its implementation.
The Minister was addressing participants at an engagement forum held at the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Thursday, February 27, 2020.
The forum, which primarily targeted the private sector, was conducted by the Technical Committee on Business Process Reform, a subcommittee of the Trade Facilitation Task Force.
Acknowledging the work of the Trade Facilitation Task Force, Minister Green said that 2020 had to be the year for increased action, as the programme seeks to implement processes to modernise trade procedures.
Under Article 23.2 of the World Trade Organisation Trade Facilitation Agreement Jamaica, like other members, is seeking to enhance its trade facilitation mechanisms.

The aims of the trade facilitation project are to:

1. Reduce the time and cost of cross-border operations through improved coordination and governance of border regulatory agencies;
2. Enhance the transparency and efficiency of cross-border formalities
3. Strengthen the capacity of businesses for compliance with international trade procedure requirements; and
4. Enable the country to be compliant with obligations under:
I. WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement
II. WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
III. World Organization for Animal Health
IV. World Health Organization
V. International Standards Organization
Jamaica currently has 22 agencies, each with its own legislation, acting at our borders, which results in significant duplication. Initiatives such as the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA), creation of a trade information portal, and introduction of electronic permits help create a paperless environment for the inspection and release of goods. The development of an electronic single window for trade is aimed at reforming the processes by making them more efficient, transparent and less costly. The automation will result in a single point of entry for importers and exporters to move their goods across Jamaica’s borders while making us more competitive

The National Trade Facilitation Taskforce is chaired by Mrs Patricia Francis, hosted by the Ministry of Industry Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, and involves representatives from the relevant border regulatory agencies of the Ministries of Finance and The Public Service, Health and Wellness and MICAF as well as members of the private sector involved in trade.