The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) has urged Jamaican exporters in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector to increase their focus on meeting food safety requirements given the growing concerns surrounding Jamaican products meeting international compliance requirements.

Garth Smith of the BSJ was speaking on 'Meeting Food Safety Requirements' during the JAMPRO-organised FINPYME ExportPlus Technical Assistance Session held recently in Montego Bay at the Pelican Grill. He proposed the implementation of international quality standards throughout the "farm to the fork" production process, a technique endorsed by Dalton Hastings of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries who added, "If we maintain our quality we minimise rejection."

The National Certification Body of Jamaica's (NCBJ) Marcia Cohen, who presented on the 'Importance of Management System Certification' charged the western exporters to "compete with confidence", as Jamaica focuses its attention on an export-oriented growth agenda. This charge comes in light of a clear appreciation for the country's current economic performance.

According to Cohen, equipping SMEs with internationally recognised certification and making them compliant with local and international certification regulations will allow them to gain traction in the export market. Cohen reiterated that being properly certified sends a clear message to distributors, consumers and the international export community adding, "(Jamaican) products can be trusted". Upon certification completion Jamaican exporters will expand his/her reach internationally, making it easier to tap into new markets.

During the session, Martin Philips of the Jamaica Trade Board, along with Dalton Hasting, outlined the benefits encapsulated in the range of Jamaican trade agreements (including that of the United States, Canada, European Union and CARICOM) so as to equip the participants to effectively capitalise on these agreements. They encouraged exporters from the western community to focus on being quality conscious and compliant in order to effectively compete in the target markets.

JAMPRO, through the National Export Strategy, serves as the secretariat for the FINPYME ExportPlus Jamaica Programme, which is an initiative of the Inter-American Investment Corporation and Inter-American Development Bank geared towards capacity building and improving the export competitiveness of Jamaican SMEs.

Launched in October 2012, the ExportPlus Programme seeks to achieve this goal through technical assistance offerings. This Montego Bay-held technical assistance session was the second of its kind since the programme's implementation. The first was held in Kingston under the theme 'Financing for Innovative Export Projects.' The next event is scheduled to be held in Kingston next month.