KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) Export Max Programme is being hailed as a driver of business growth by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Aubyn Hill.

Delivering the keynote address at the closing ceremony for cohort three of the Enterprise Development for Export Growth under the initiative, held on June 20 at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew, the minister said the programme is “working well”.

He pointed out that the 50 companies that participated in the 36-month programme received “important assistance” from JAMPRO, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), and his ministry, which led to improved products, services, internal operations and “increased export revenue”.

Thirty of the companies found new international markets, and 78 per cent of the non-exporting companies had started to export.

“This is the impact I like to see. Sales to gift shops at the airport jumped from $13 million in 2021 to $40 million in 22,” the minister told his audience.

He reported that six of the companies grew “remarkably” during the time of the programme (September 2019 to September 2022), which also saw 85 per cent of the businesses getting help to improve their processing, “to grow, to enter new markets and to export”.

“Export Max is the only business development programme in Jamaica that offers a fast and efficient route to export sustainability for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs),” Minister Hill told the gathering.

JAMPRO, in an effort to increase the export of non-traditional products and support the development of Jamaica’s MSME sector, in partnership with the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) and JBDC, launched the third instalment of the agency’s flagship export development programme, Export Max, on November 29, 2018.

The programme is a three-year initiative geared towards providing focused capacity-building, advocacy and market penetration support to 50 exporters and export ready firms, to enable the companies to be competitively positioned to take advantage of market opportunities and, ultimately, make a greater contribution to the overall performance of the Jamaican economy.

– JIS