Half-a-million tonnes of sugar produced so far by SAC members

As the 2013/2014 sugar crop in the Caribbean winds down, Jamaica, Belize, Barbados and Guyana have produced just under 500,000 tonnes of  the commodity, up to the end of  June. The Sugar Association of  the Caribbean (SAC) says year-to-date production figure is 499,272 tonnes.
Guyana was the lead producer with 218,708 tonnes, followed by Jamaica with 152,868 tonnes. Belize was in third place with 113,337 tonnes and Barbados 14,359 tons.

Last month Belize was the lead producer followed by Jamaica.
The crop in Jamaica is expected to end this month.
Exports                                                      
In the meantime, the SAC has revealed that, for the current sugar crop, regional producers have exported 291,524 tonnes of  the sweetener. The bulk of the exports went to the European Union, followed by CARICOM and other markets.
Jamaica will this month dispatch its final cargo to the EU for 2013/2014.
Karl James, Chairman of  the SAC, says Caribbean producers are now considering how they will dispose of sugar produced in the future, in light of  the depressed EU market.

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Half-a-million tonnes of sugar produced so far by SAC members

Half-a-million tonnes of sugar produced so far by SAC members

As the 2013/2014 sugar crop in the Caribbean winds down, Jamaica, Belize, Barbados and Guyana have produced just under 500,000 tonnes of  the commodity, up to the end of  June. The Sugar Association of  the Caribbean (SAC) says year-to-date production figure is 499,272 tonnes.
Guyana was the lead producer with 218,708 tonnes, followed by Jamaica with 152,868 tonnes. Belize was in third place with 113,337 tonnes and Barbados 14,359 tons.

Last month Belize was the lead producer followed by Jamaica.
The crop in Jamaica is expected to end this month.
Exports                                                      
In the meantime, the SAC has revealed that, for the current sugar crop, regional producers have exported 291,524 tonnes of  the sweetener. The bulk of the exports went to the European Union, followed by CARICOM and other markets.
Jamaica will this month dispatch its final cargo to the EU for 2013/2014.
Karl James, Chairman of  the SAC, says Caribbean producers are now considering how they will dispose of sugar produced in the future, in light of  the depressed EU market.

View the original article here

Half-a-million tonnes of sugar produced so far by SAC members

JCF members told to refrain from commenting on Commissioner's departure

RJR News understands that Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington will remain on leave for more than two before going on retirement.

Meanwhile, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has cautioned members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, to refrain from public utterances regarding Ellington’s decision to retire.
The move by the PSC is to defuse mounting speculation surrounding the reasons behind Commissioner Ellington’s sudden departure.

The directive was circulated on Friday morning to senior officers as well as rank and file members of the JCF.

In the directive, a copy of which was obtained by the RJR News centre, the PSC urged the members not to get caught up in public debate and speculation, and instead focus on their duties.

The PSC said Commissioner Ellington informed it of his intention to proceed on retirement leave, adding that it supported his request.

On Monday. National Security Minister Peter Bunting said he had been advised of the request by the Commissioner to retire on completion of his vacation leave.

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JCF members told to refrain from commenting on Commissioner"s departure

Famliy members charged with cocaine possession

Deon P Green, Star Writer

Two of three family members charged for possession of cocaine with an estimated street value of $350,000 were offered bail when they appeared in the Morant Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

The magistrate advised the third family member that the address will have to be verified before bail can be considered as the crown did not oppose bail application for the three.

Those offered bail in the sum of $300,000 each are 43-year-old Judith Campbell and 19-year-old Romario Thompson of Brown’s Lane in Morant Bay.

Additionally, Campbell was offered bail in the sum of $2,000 for abstracting electricity illegally. The magistrate ordered those offered bail to report to the Morant Bay police on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They have also been told to surrender their travel documents and be fingerprinted.

The third accused, 26-year-old Sean Scott, with addresses in Kingston and Morant Bay, was remanded in custody until his addresses can be verified.

The weekend Star understands that the police reportedly carried out a raid in the area two weeks ago in search of illegal electricity. The police searched the house of the accused and substances resembling cocaine was found in jars over a doorway as well as in a passageway.

The three are booked to return to the Morant Bay RM Court on July 9.

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Famliy members charged with cocaine possession

Caribbean MicroFinance Alliance members certified

Business

Friday, July 26, 2013

TWENTY-FIVE credit officers from several Caribbean microfinance institutions (MFIs) have been certified to deliver financial literacy training to their clients, following completion of a three-day Financial Education Training of Trainers workshop under the Caribbean Capacity Building Microfinance Project II “CARIB-CAP II”.CARIB-CAP II which is jointly funded by the Multilateral Investment Fund (a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group), European Commission, Citi Foundation and the Caribbean Development Bank and managed by a Jamaican-based consultancy firm, Development Options Ltd, aims to create a more developed microfinance industry in the English-speaking Caribbean by improving their financial performance and outreach and fostering a knowledge-sharing eco-system for MFIs in the region.The Financial Education “Train the Trainers” workshop, held in Kingston from July 17-19, 2013, was implemented by the Caribbean MicroFinance Alliance (CMFA), a CARIB-CAP II project beneficiary. MFI credit officers from Jamaica, Belize, Dominica, Suriname, Grenada, St Lucia, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, were trained to deliver financial literacy training to their clients to help them to be more financially responsible and to take greater advantage of the financial services available to them.Speaking at the certificate ceremony for the training programme at the Courtleigh Hotel & Suites on Friday, July 19, 2013, Mrs Michell Scott, Operations manager for the CMFA said that “these credit officers have completed their training and now armed with the Financial Education Toolkit provided to them, are fully equipped to assist in the training of over 7000 clients regionally.”Scott said that “it is anticipated that improved financial literacy will result in enhanced financial decision making and well-being, better management of loan repayment and reduced indebtedness as well as more effective use of financial services”.

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Caribbean MicroFinance Alliance members certified

Seek help for stress, Ellington urges members after suspected suicide

News

Monday, July 08, 2013

Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington has launched a public appeal to members of the Constabulary which includes regulars, special and district constables, to seek professional help and assistance when confronted by pressuring domestic issues and disputes.Ellington’s plea follows the suspected suicide of Special Constable Richard Laing who was found dead at his home in St Catherine early Saturday morning.“Complicated domestic issues and disputes can be dealt with by trained personnel once detected. Within the JCF, we have a variety of these professionals and I urge members experiencing these situations to come forward and get help. Our Chaplaincy Branch stands ready to assist all those in distress.“It is of utmost importance that the leadership of the Force, at all levels, be vigilant and to address or refer any member who may be suspected of or show signs of distress or depression. Our work is a difficult one and allied with the normal problems of daily life, policemen and women are always at risk. The need is for quick identification of the attendant problems for speedy resolutions. Take your personal affairs seriously, and do not delay in seeking help even as we continue to serve Jamaica,” Ellington advised his members.The commissioner also extended condolence and support to the immediate family members and friends of Special Constable Laing on behalf of the police force.ELLINGTON… take your personal affairs seriously
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Seek help for stress, Ellington urges members after suspected suicide

Tax-free investment product targets credit union members

CREDIT union members now have access to a specially designed tax-free investment product being hailed as “habit and lifestyle changing”.

The product, the MoneyBuilder, was rolled out on June 12, when four of the island’s credit unions collaborated with MoneyMasters Limited to introduce the instrument to their membership. This collaboration is a first of its kind for credit unions whose products have over the years been developed internally, by CFMG Life or by the Credit Union League.“The MoneyBuilder is a product that can transform this generation and generations to come,” said Fitzgerald Rowe, who chairs the investment management committee of pioneer credit unions that include St Elizabeth, COK Sodality, St Catherine and St Thomas credit unions.He was speaking at the launch at the Terra Nova Hotel. According to Rowe, the MoneyBuilder puts credit union members, totalling 950,000 persons across the island, on the road to becoming financially independent as it seeks to place Jamaicans in a position where they are not dependent on anyone for their financial existence.The MoneyBuilder enjoys tax- free status as under the approval given by the Ministry of Finance, money invested in the MoneyBuilder, once held for five years, is tax-free from month one to month 60. The product welcomes a lump sum either at start-up or annually on the anniversary date. But a monthly payment, which can be as low as $500, is mandatory.The MoneyBuilder is covered by the insurer of the Credit Union Movement, CMFG Life Insurance Company, and includes coverage for disability. It insures each saver’s goal so that if a member dies before the investment matures, the beneficiary would still achieve the goal.In terms of product management, the MoneyBuilder is offered by partnering credit unions, and MoneyMasters is not a retailer. It would, however, be responsible for the quarterly filing to the Tax Authority of Jamaica.The company has non-discretionary management of the majority of the funds and will be governed by and reports to the investment management committee which is made up of credit unions.Rowe noted that, with the MoneyBuilder, all Jamaicans have the opportunity to be financially secure and can meet their financial obligations “even in death”.He added that the product was structured and approved so that it would create lifestyle changes.The MoneyBuilder presents an ideal opportunity for credit union members to access a long-term, tax-free amortised investment instrument with goal protection, he said.Education Minister Ronald Thwaites (centre) converses with President of MoneyMasters Limited (MML) Claudette Crooks Collie (2nd left), during the launch of the entity’s MoneyBuilder investment product on June 12 at the Terra Nova Hotel, St Andrew. Looking on are General Manager, St Elizabeth Cooperative Credit Union Limited Fitzgerald Rowe (left); MML Director Christopher Robinson; and General Manager, St Catherine Cooperative Credit Union Limited, Sandra Thompson. (PHOTO: JIS)

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Tax-free investment product targets credit union members