THE MINISTRY of Agriculture has assumed control of the export complexes at the Norman Manley and Sangster International airports, as well as for the pre-clearance facilities where shipments of fresh produce to the United States are inspected.
The Ministry said that it would assume full management and operational responsibilities for the complexes and programmes, which were previously managed by Agro Partners Ltd, a joint venture between the Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA) and the Agricultural Development Corporation.
Activities of both centres now fall under the Ministry's Plant Quarantine and Produce Inspection unit, which previously only provided technical expertise since the inception of the pre-clearance and inspection units in 1984.
Permanent Secretary, Aaron Parke said the Ministry became responsible for the pre-clearance programme and merged it with management of the complexes as a cost-recovery strategy to allow for a pooling of funds earned from both areas. This decision to merge the operations of both entities, he said, will allow the Ministry to use funds to help the pre-clearance programme be sustainable.
Under the previous management arrangement, Agro Partners collected a cess of US 25 cents per box on all shipments which was turned over to the US Department of Agriculture(USDA) to cover the programmes operating costs. All other fees collected for the inspection of produce, fumigation and cold storage accrued to Agro Partners Limited.
The change in management follows problems experienced by the JEA since last year which made it difficult for the JEA to meet its financial obligations to the USDA.
The Ministry is also embarking on other plans to improve the level of service offered at the complexes. Among them are: (a) ensuring that operations conform to International Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HAACP), (2) installing an inci-nerator large enough to accommodate the needs of the animal quarantine and station and the export complex and setting up a fumigation unit at the Sangster International Airport in St. James.
to improve the delivery of pre-clearance services offered in the Western end of the island.
