KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw, is calling the performance of Jamaica’s export sector outstanding, noting that the total value of manufacturing exports by Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA) members for the period January-May 2020 was $12.6 billion, representing a J$74 million increase over the same period in 2019.

Shaw said that based on a report from the JMEA listing some 20 Jamaican companies, since the outbreak of COVID-19, the country has not only been able to replace some imported products such as hand sanitizers with locally made brands, but several companies have recorded increased exports to both traditional and new markets in the UK, Canada, the US and several Caribbean countries.

Making his contribution to the 2020/2021 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday, the minister said that their “necessity has mothered our invention”.

“Exports of goods ranging from sanitizers, cleaning agents, toilet paper, spices and seasoning, bananas, cakes, flour, ackee, dasheen, unsweetened biscuits and flavoured milk [have recorded] notable increases,” Shaw said.

He said the value of exports to the US increased by $616 million to $5.1 billion during the January-May period, up from $4.5 billion in the same period in 2019.

“These kinds of exports cannot stop,” he added.