THE Government has suspended the issuing of waivers and incentives in a move Prime Minister Bruce Golding said was expected to boost the economy and go a far way in reducing the budget deficit.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the 58th annual Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show in Clarendon yesterday, Golding spoke passionately about the need for a full revival of agriculture, following a detailed tour of the more than 340 booths on display.

“Last Monday, Cabinet took a decision that as of August 1 there will be a freeze on all new waivers and incentives, pending the outcome of the study,” Golding said.

That study, according to the prime minister, has been commissioned already to determine which incentives will be retained and those which will not.

“It will tell us where to grant waivers and where not to grant waivers,” Golding said, adding that the study should be completed by year-end.

“The review of all waivers and incentives will be conducted right through the economy. We have some people enjoying incentives from Bob Lightbourne times,” Golding said, referring to the former Jamaica Labour Party minister of trade and industry of the 1960s.

“If the issuing of waivers is not achieving the desired effects, then it is time to revisit it. The country is wrestling with a fiscal deficit of seven to eight per cent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for this year. It will take us four years to get it down to zero.

“The waivers and incentives that we are granting amount to 14 per cent of GDP. That cannot continue. That 14 per cent of GDP must come down. We cannot continue to give away waivers and incentives, when we want to fix farm roads. Whatever waivers and incentives that have already been approved will continue.

“Distributors and others are constantly seeking waivers. We are under pressure to grant licences to import products on the one hand, because some business people will say to you, we can’t get enough tomatoes for example. The JAS, on the other hand, will say to you, don’t ‘leggo’ no licences or waivers, and (agriculture) Minister Chris Tufton has not been unwilling to say to some of the most powerful, no, you not getting any waiver,” Golding said.

The prime minister, who was accompanied by younger daughter Ann-Merita through his five-hour stay at the venue, also implored the private sector to invest more in agriculture, which he described as one of the sectors that will save Jamaica.

“Agriculture is the new frontier. We want the private sector to look at investing more in agriculture, while looking at agriculture in a broad framework. Interest rates have been coming down from 18 per cent and are now at 8.7 per cent and we not finished yet. If you think big, we can make agriculture grow and if agriculture grows, Jamaica grows as well,” Golding said.

Golding hailed farmers and show organisers, the Jamaica Agricultural Society, for making the event “one of the best Denbigh shows that I have been to”, emphasising satisfaction and surprise at times with the quality of the displays.

“I am thrilled and excited that notwithstanding the battering from the drought, farmers have shown tremendous resilience,” the prime minister said.

Golding expressed pleasant surprise at the range of products on display and seemed particularly fascinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ apiary culture unit booth marshalled by Reginald Peddie and Kwesi Palmer.

Sampling a local honeybased drink, Golding took one sip, then another, followed by a third, at which point he told his aides: “you better tek this before a get drunk,” before handing the remaining contents to those at his side.

St Elizabeth emerged the top parish in the overall pavilion display and copped the Percival Broderick trophy, Manchester emerged top in pavilion layout and won the Rudolph Burke trophy, while Jamaica Broilers Group won the best exhibitor display for the Norman Grant trophy.

St Mary Farm Queen Olivia Derrett, a 19-year-old immediate past student of St Mary High School in the parish, was adjudged farm queen for 2010. The Jeffrey Town, Western St Mary native beat Samantha Stewart of Clarendon into second, and Jodi Miller of Portland, who placed third.