KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica has gone backwards in its development of a logistics hub, according to Opposition Spokesperson on Trade, Industry and Global Logistics, Anthony Hylton.

Hylton, who led the development of a logistics hub during the last People’s National Party administration, made the assertion in the House of Representatives on Tuesday during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate.

He noted that Jamaica has for decades functioned primarily as a trading economy rather than a productive one.

“We import heavily, distribute locally and export far too little beyond raw materials and services. This did not happen accidentally. It emerged from deliberate policy choices that consistently favoured those who trade over those who produce, those who import over those who manufacture, and those who distribute over those who build,” said Hylton.

He told the House that the barriers facing manufacturing are not simply regulatory; they are structural.

“Energy costs remain among the highest in the region. Trade policies continue to favour import dependency over domestic production. Industrial clustering, necessary for achieving scale and competitiveness, remains underdeveloped,” he said.

He added that bureaucratic delays continue to frustrate productive investment and access to affordable trade financing remains limited.

“The result is an economy that protects entrenched commercial interests while limiting productive expansion and constraining the ambitions of manufacturers, exporters and entrepreneurs who want to build and scale within Jamaica and the region,” said Hylton.

He reminded that while in government, the Opposition sought to change this trajectory through the logistics hub strategy, a framework designed to transform Jamaica into a globally-competitive logistics and production centre.

“It was not merely a slogan. It was intended as a comprehensive economic transformation strategy linking ports, manufacturing, transportation, logistics, technology, and global trade into a unified framework capable of positioning Jamaica as a major regional player in the future economy. Yet after 10 years, implementation has stalled,” he lamented.

The St Andrew West Member of Parliament pointed to the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index on which Jamaica is ranked 79th out of 139 countries. This, said Hylton, is 27 places lower than in 2014.

“That is not progress. It is a regression,” he declared.

According to Hylton, Jamaica does not need to limit itself to producing only from local raw materials.

“We can become a value-added manufacturing and logistics platform for the region and the wider hemisphere, assembling, processing, packaging, and exporting goods into global markets,” he said.

Continuing, he argued that: “Achieving this requires coordination, urgency, infrastructure investment, policy alignment, and above all, strategic direction.”

“Instead, agriculture and agro-processing remain chronically-underfunded, manufacturing remains constrained and trade policies continue protecting merchant interests over productive growth. The result is an economy serving a few while limiting the aspirations of many.”

Hylton asserted that, “That is why the middle class increasingly feels squeezed. That is why young professionals increasingly feel uncertain about their future here. That is why so many talented Jamaicans continue leaving. Too many no longer believe this economy is structured to reward production, innovation, entrepreneurship, and long-term investment.”

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