Jamaicans have been talking about increased exports for a very long time; at best, the results have been mixed, with sharp declines in most traditional export products and new ones taking their places.
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The mining sector comprising mostly bauxite and alumina, generated US$514 million or 36 percent less than the US$803 million in 2019, but that was just 4 percent lower than the amount earned in 2017. The closure of the alumina plant in Alpart towards the end of 2019 was the main contributor to the decline.
The country seems to be making some headway in increasing export earnings, with exports excluding sugar, coffee, scrap metals, mining and mineral exports, rising an attractive 61 percent since 2017.
The bright spots for exports are rums, up 38 percent in 4 years, yams, ackee, the three Bs – bread, biscuits, buns and cakes, sauces, beverages, chemicals and other domestic exports.
Coming tomorrow – Rum exports
