Edmond Campbell, Senior News Coordinator
THE CRITICAL shortage of cement affecting the construction and hardware sectors, as well as industrial disputes, has stifled growth within the goods-producing sectors of the economy for the January to March quarter.
These industries are likely to suffer even further setbacks as the planned shipment of 8,000 tonnes of cement into the country from Cuba is off for this month.
Instead, an unspecified quantity of the product should begin to arrive in the island in June.
According to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) in its quarterly review, the overall performance of the economy was negatively impacted by a stormy industrial relations climate and the shortage of cement, which hampered growth in the goods-producing sectors.
Showing strong signs of recovery for the quarter, the agriculture sector, which recorded a 24.7 per cent increase, made a significant contribution to the 1.4 per cent growth achieved for the period under review.
Figures from the PIOJ show that the construction and installation industry, however, declined by 6.3 per cent, mining and quarrying by 2.2 per cent and manufacturing registered a 2.1 per cent decline.
Dr. Wesley Hughes, director general of the PIOJ, reported at a press briefing yesterday that the scarcity of cement has led to a shutdown of some building sites across the country, loss of jobs for construction workers and a downturn in the production of concrete and blocks.
At the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House yesterday, Information Minister Colin Campbell told journalists that adjustments have been made to the proposed importation of cement over the May to July period.
He explained that the 64,000 tonnes, scheduled to arrive over the three months, have been increased to 72,000 tonnes. This will now be imported in June, July and August.
"We negotiated an increase because of the situation at the retail level ... because whereas the Caribbean Cement Company has been able to keep larger projects supplied, there is a real crisis at the level of the hardware stores where people go to buy a few bags for any particular thing they are doing, and it has affected the sales of other hardware items," he pointed out.
Mr. Campbell said the importation of the 72,000 tonnes by August is expected to stabilise the local market. However, he conceded that it would be necessary to import more cement as Caribbean Cement Company would not be able to satisfy local demand.
The company imported some 3,000 tonnes of cement from Cuba into the island on the weekend.
