KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Spokesperson on Industry, Investment & Global Logistics, Anthony Hylton, is calling on the Government to fix the emergent problems at the Port of Kingston, which have resulted in a growing backlog of goods needed by both producers and consumers for the impending Christmas Season.

Speaking against the background of recent reports of heightened surveillance and inspection by the Customs & Border Control agencies of goods coming into the Port, which is among the factors causing delays in the clearance of goods, Hylton said that “whatever the cause(s) of the backlog in the clearance of goods at the Port is, needs to be addressed immediately as this can only worsen an already fragile economic recovery and increase the burden on already stressed consumers and businesses”.

In a release on Tuesday, Hylton explained that the delays in the clearance of goods at the Port in the run-up to the Christmas peak demand season will only prolong the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the supply chain was severely disrupted thus worsening the current inflationary spiral in which Jamaica and the world is gripped.

Hylton noted that “the response of the Bank of Jamaica in increasing the policy rate multiple times has resulted in increased interest rates on credit to the productive sector, as well as households. Coupled with the rising costs of fuel and basic food items, the pressure on businesses and the most vulnerable have been mounting.”

Hylton further explained that adding further delays to the clearance of vital supplies and materials for producers and consumers during the peak Christmas season is increasing the risk of the economy slipping back into a recession.

He is therefore calling on the Government to take the lead in urgently bringing all stakeholders in the Port Community to the discussion table to fix the problem as quickly as possible to ensure stability at a main artery in the supply and logistics chain at the Port of Kingston.

“The micro and small enterprises, as well as the poor and the vulnerable classes, deserve a good Christmas season after the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.