BY VIVIAN TYSON

Observer staff reporter

WESTERN BUREAU – The government is in talks with sections of Montego Bay’s business sector as it moves to secure 150,000 square feet of factory space, over the next eight to 12 months, to satisfy the growing demand being generated by information technology (IT) firms.

“We are in discussion with the Montego Bay private sector to see if they could very quickly get space ready, and we are looking for that over the next eight to 12 months,” said Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology Phillip Paulwell.

He was speaking at Thursday’s launch of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 2004 Exposition to be held at the Montego Bay Shipping Pier between October 8 and 10.

“It would seem now that we would need in the region of 150,000 square feet of additional space for Montego Bay, being that it is the prime location,” Paulwell said.

Approximately four companies, the minister added, had expressed an interest in setting up IT firms in the western city.

The usage of factory space owned by the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) has jumped from 57 per cent to 82 per cent over the past three months, an increase which the FCJ attributes to the mushrooming of the IT sector. The FCJ, which is state-owned, manages 818,818 square metres (1.9 million square feet) of factory space. Currently, IT companies occupy 10,780 square metres (116,000 square feet) of space in the FCJ factories in St Thomas, Kingston and Montego Bay, with all but 181.181 square metres being leased to offshore investors.

Paulwell pointed out that some of the reasons given for the growing demand in setting up IT companies in Montego Bay are the negative perception of Kingston due to crime, the further modernisation of the Sangster International Airport, and an environment that the investors would relish.

“There is, of course, that negative perception of Kingston in terms of crime. For Montego Bay, you have a very modern airport – it is getting better every day – you have an environment that the investor likes. You have good golf courses and being attached to the tourism industry is a positive as well,” Paulwell pointed out.

President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and director of Barnett Estates Ltd Winston Dear told the Observer that his members are moving to assist the government in acquiring lands from Barnett Estates. The lands are owned by Mark Kerr-Jarrett. However, Dear was not prepared to say how far advanced these plans are.