Jamaica’s Anti-Dumping and Subsidies Commission (ADSC) is gaining local and international recognition, having been affording Jamaican producers protection against unfair trading practices for more two decades.

In praising the work of the agency, Imega Breese McNab, executive director of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, said anti-dumping laws and policies are vital to ensure that the local industries are competing on “a level playing field”.

For Breese McNab, “the ADSC has a strong record of protecting Jamaica’s industries from dumping, which ensures that our manufacturers and exporters are engaging within mutually beneficial trade frameworks”.

Established 21 years ago, ADSC has been delivering on a mandate of administrating the trade remedies regime in Jamaica with a core function to defend productive and manufacturing activity on the island under the rules of international trade agreements to which Jamaica is a party. Its work is bolstered as a signatory member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and similar bodies.

The Commission pursues its responsibilities through a multidisciplinary five-member Board of Commissioners, appointed by the Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce for up to three renewable terms.

The Commissioners are supported by a small cadre of specialists in law, economics, WTO trade rules, finance and related disciplines.

Organisation’s work underpinned by analysis

ADSC Executive Director Andrea Marie Dawes has highlighted that part of its success is the engagement of staff in analysis that applies the disciplines associated with remedies to the “real-world situation” in which industries operate.

Dawes said the ADSC has listened and engaged and pushed staff to be more careful and critical for useful outcomes in research undertakings.

She explained that the agency, which is under the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, continues “to be a rock-solid support system” for producers in Jamaica.

According to her, manufacturers and farmers know what the Commission’s work is and are assured that they are there for them to access “this unique capacity to shore up their efforts in these days of fierce global competition for market share”.

She underscored that the Commission is pursuing certification with the National Certification Body of Jamaica to achieve ISO 9001:2015 standard for Quality Management Systems. As such, the ADSC said it was committed to providing superior investigations and global expertise to empower producers of goods in Jamaica to defend their fair share of the global market, using trade remedies.

Speaking during a recent virtual 21st anniversary even, Dawes said: “The Commission adheres to a high standard of investigative and training excellence for our clients. We continually improve our processes by setting and meeting quality objectives and receiving feedback to enable us to provide satisfactory service.”

She added that, during the course of the agency’s existence, it completed investigative work for each case within one year.

AFFIRMATIVE DETERMINATIONS IN MAJORITY OF MATTERS

More than 70 per cent of the matters completed resulted in affirmative determinations for duties to be applied to the imports that were causing the injury, affording the domestic industry concerned breathing room to adjust to competition.

Training and consultations with industries form a key part of the work of the entity with focus on its target to prepare 50 manufacturing entities under the Vision 2030 – Medium-Term Framework. The Commission as an organisation has two pillars – one, its Board of Commissioners.

In addition, since it was established, among its chairpersons have been Dr David Panton, Senator Deika Morrison and Dr Harold Wildish and Dr Beverley Morgan.