Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Strategic Business Plan 2019/2020 – 2022/2023.

The Strategic Business Plan of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the Strategic Business Plan is 5 years between 2019 and 2023. The overall goal of this Plan is to achieve innovative, inclusive, sustainable and internationally competitive Jamaican industries in agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and services sectors.
Food security, health and nutrition will be ensured through the growth in agriculture, fisheries and food industries.
Agricultural industries will be developed in an environmentally sustainable manner. In this regard, policy and legal frameworks will be improved in accordance with the protection of agricultural land, plant and animal genetic resources, aquatic ecosystems, and fisheries resources. Sustainable land management practices will be promoted to reduce unsustainable use of agricultural lands.
Micro, small, and medium enterprises will be supported with a special emphasis on youth and women to increase their contribution to GDP. To this end, access to finance resources as well as other resources will be provided to these enterprises and farmers.
The growth in industries in agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and service sectors will be sustained through increase in the output of agriculture and fisheries resources including value-added production; the application of appropriate technology by Jamaican MSMEs through research, development and innovation; effective marketing strategies; capacity building; and an efficient and effective regulatory system. Standards and conformity assessments including inspection, certification, accreditation, will be used to increase the access to markets for conforming Jamaican products. In addition to that, special emphasis will be given to national quality infrastructure, food safety, consumer protection and human health. Integrated pest management will be strengthened to decrease the incidence of pests and diseases in plants and animals. High standard of quality of Jamaican products and services will be provided to all Jamaican consumers. The production and productivity of key local products will be optimized towards targeted markets. Moreover, access of select local industries to emerging and existing markets will be increased. Flexible, responsive and robust systems will be developed to meet the demands of a dynamic local, regional and international trading system to become more competitive at the regional and international level. Financial resources will be allocated to MSMEs and other industry stakeholders in accordance with the National and Ministry’s policy priorities.
The resilience to the negative impacts of climate change and pest and disease outbreaks will be increased. An efficient and effective regulatory system will be developed to ensure the sustainable use of the country’s global resources. Climate change adaptation and mitigation will be integrated into the agriculture, fisheries, manufacture and service sectors.