KINGSTON, Jamaica--Work is going full steam ahead on introducing a tax on all coffee imported in Jamaica.
Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Dermon Spence says most of the legislative work to facilitate the move has already been completed.
The move comes, he said, as government seeks to provide support for the continued growth of the coffee industry.
Last year, coffee recorded a 10.4 per cent growth in production, making a significant contribution to the US $28.5 million in crop exports, up from US $18.7 million in 2014.
Spence said that performance “is a clear indication that in spite of challenges … there is value and potential in the industry and rewards can be reaped.”
“We want to grow and export as many bags of coffee beans as possible, but in addition to that, we also want to place increased focus on the value-added component of the industry,” he noted further.
Two years ago, the president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society Norman Grant called for the imposition of a cess on imported coffee, declaring that the industry was in a state of emergency.
He suggested that the money earned from the tax should be placed in a special fund to be used to expand the local coffee industry.
His call came after two years of the coffee leaf rust and coffee berry borer diseases resulting in US $10 million in losses. ~ Caribbean360 ~
