KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), over the next few months, will target stakeholders in the food, construction and tourism sectors as part of its new public relations campaign to increase awareness about its services.

New and reviewed standards will also be launched to focus on important commodities, such as rice and fuel, as well as technology products, to include solar panels.

An ‘Outta Road’ road tour will be part of the campaign activities, which will see the BSJ teams directly engaging with the public while offering exclusive packages.

During the tour, students will also be sensitised on the bureau’s services and an in-person ‘Stakeholders Forum’ is expected to be held, among other activities.

The launch of the campaign, under the theme ‘Committed to Quality and Standards’, was held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston, on March 22 and endorsed by the Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator Aubyn Hill.

“As we look across the economic landscape and recognise the need for Jamaican businesses to be competitive locally and internationally, the commitment to high quality and high standards must be endorsed and practised by all stakeholders,” Senator Hill emphasised.

He added that the new BSJ campaign, and the entity’s partnerships, “are critical to ensuring that Jamaican businesses and operators are properly informed, hold themselves accountable to meet high standards, and in the process, benefit their customers, employees and their owners”.

Executive Director of the BSJ, Dr Velton Gooden, said the bureau would seek to expand its testing services and improve turn-around time.

“Our number-one strategic priority for the next four years is to support the building of a strong and resilient business sector, and to achieve this, we must strengthen our stakeholder engagement to communicate the benefits of engaging the services of the BSJ, which is guaranteed to improve operational efficiency, improve the quality of their products, services and market access,” Dr Gooden said.

Meanwhile, President of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), John Mahfood, lauded the campaign as “very positive for us as manufacturers and for Jamaica”.

“More than ever, we need to engage the BSJ to help our businesses grow and to produce the types of quality products that are needed on the export market,” he said.

The BSJ continues to facilitate several national quality infrastructure related to Standards Development, Conformity Assessment as well as Metrology and Accreditation.

The bureau was established 53 years ago to promote and encourage the maintenance of standardisation, in relation to commodities, processes and various practices.