Durrant Pate/Contributor

Opposition Spokesman on Investment and Trade Anthony Hylton is pushing for the establishment of a National Supply Chain and Logistics Council to drive Jamaica’s push in the global logistics business.

In fact, he declared that the next People’s National Party (PNP) administration will establish a council as a public-private partnership (PPP) with industry, academia and key government stakeholders with the objectives of developing and recommending policies that promote the growth and development of Jamaica’s supply chain and logistics sector. This could include policies related to infrastructure development, trade facilitation, regulatory reform, and technology adoption. 

Making his contribution to the 2024/2025 Sectoral Debate in Parliament on Wednesday (May 8), Hylton said the council will be mandated to develop a comprehensive national supply chain, logistics and trade strategy aligned with economic development goals. This will also include identifying key challenges and opportunities in the logistics and trade sectors.

Moreover, the council would be tasked with facilitating collaboration and communication among stakeholders in the supply chain and logistics ecosystem, including government agencies, private sector companies, industry associations, research institutions and educational organisations.

Other designated council functions

The council would also be responsible for coordinating initiatives to build the capacity and capabilities of individuals and organisations involved in the supply chain and logistics sector. This could involve training programs, workshops, and knowledge-sharing platforms aimed at enhancing skills and promoting best practices. 

Another key function of the council, Hylton advanced, is advocating for investment in infrastructure projects that improve the efficiency and reliability of Jamaica’s transportation networks, including ports, airports, roads, and railways. This would involve working closely with government agencies and private sector partners to prioritise and fund critical infrastructure projects.

Among the priority responsibilities of the council will be a 100-day review of the critical supply, value chains and logistics to map the flow of raw materials, goods, and services as well as the infrastructure serving key sectors of the Jamaican economy and well-being of the society. The result of this 100-day review exercise will inform the specific measures the administration will take to address the resiliency of the supply chain and to inform trade diversification and industrial policy interventions. 

According to the shadow minister, “Additionally, a Trade Data Exchange [as] established by Singapore authorities to serve the finance and port/logistics and agricultural sectors will be considered, together with a scientific and research agenda involving our universities to develop new technological solutions. Among the specific benefits to be conferred by a Trade Data Exchange, Madam Speaker, is compliance with trade laws and regulations in certain international export markets.”

Trade Data Exchange 

By serving as a national data point for the collation, standardization and digitalisation of sector-specific information, Hilton contended that the cloud-based platform envisaged for the exchange could assist export enterprises, large and small, with traceability reports to meet food safety regulations, as required under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. 

This, he said could also include calculation of carbon emissions under the new EU Carbon Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which obliges EU importers of certain goods produced in third countries to declare the level of carbon emission generated in the production process. 

“We are concerned Madam Speaker, that these and similar measures are thinly disguised non-tariff barriers to the entry of goods into EU markets from developing countries like Jamaica. Madam Speaker, these are important measures of which our exporters must be increasingly aware in order to maintain access to the EU markets,” Hylton told Members of Parliament.

In conclusion, the opposition spokesman made the point that these measures are not exclusive to the European Union, other developed country markets such as the United States and Canada, which are exploring these and other border mechanisms as the means of enforcing de-carbonisation measures, unilaterally adopted.