The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, through its Plant Quarantine/Produce Inspection (PQ/PI) Branch, is continually pursuing new ways to improve export efficiency.
Since 2020, the Branch has been taking steps to transition its phytosanitary certification process to a paperless format.
Speaking during a plant quarantine exporters’ forum at the Ministry’s offices in Kingston on February 14, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., said going paperless would translate into greater operational efficiency.
“[This] will be beneficial to all exporters, commercial and non-commercial, [by] reducing [the] processing time, improving communication with our international trading partners who are receiving our shipments and, importantly, reducing the dependence on paper,” he explained.
The Minister informed that the two key systems that have been designed to support paperless trade of export inspections and phytosanitary certification are the Jamaica Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)-Generic National System for Electronic Certificates (GeNS).
He said that as of March 2021, the PQ/PI Branch, in collaboration with the Jamaica Customs Single Window team, launched the JSWIFT online platform for the issuance of plant import permits.
“The system was designed to support the Branch’s import and export business processes by offering a one-stop shop, paperless service within a single submission trade mechanism,” Mr. Charles explained.
“The import process was the first to be implemented for the issuance of permits; and this took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing ease of doing business with reduced risk,” he added.
The Minister said another important platform slated to come on stream is the export single window, which is already developed and is 90 per cent ready for implementation.
“To facilitate its smooth implementation, we will be conducting a series of trials before we allow the system to go live. The Ministry will collaborate with the Jamaica Customs Single Window team to have this operational by mid-2023,” Mr. Charles informed.
This export system is expected to provide several benefits, including clients’ submission of applications prior to visiting export complexes; production of phytosanitary and fumigation certificates, which will allow all exporters to download and print their own documents from the comfort of their offices or homes; and improved operational efficiency for the PQ/PI Branch by reducing paper dependency, resulting in improved cost savings.
Regarding the IPPC-Generic National System for Electronic Certificates, Mr. Charles informed that Jamaica was among the first Caribbean countries, in 2019, to use the IPPC online system to send and receive phytosanitary certificates from other National Plant Protection Organisations.
“The system currently allows Jamaica to receive certificates from any country that is registered to the platform with a single click, prior to the arrival of goods in Jamaica, and vice versa. Jamaica can also now trade phytosanitary certificates with the United States, some European Union (EU) member states, [and] Argentina, Costa Rica, and Dominica, to name a few,” he said.
“Importantly, the more countries with which we can trade phytosanitary certificates, the better it will be for Jamaica in the long term. In that regard, in the coming weeks, Jamaica will extend trading certificates to the United Kingdom, Cayman Islands, and Netherlands,” he added.
The Minister urged all exporters to register on the system and make applications for phytosanitary certificates before visiting the various export complexes.
“These solutions we are implementing are raising the standards for delivery of service and [are] putting Jamaica on a global level where we are able to provide smooth movement of goods and ease of business for all of those whom we serve here in Jamaica,” Mr. Charles said.
He indicated that representatives of the PQ/PI Branch have spent years negotiating with regional and international trading partners to gain additional or new access for Jamaican produce.
He pointed out that mangoes were exported to the United States, pineapples to Barbados, and ackee, plantain, soursop, and breadfruit to the Cayman Islands.
“To date, Jamaica has begun to reap the intended benefits from these exports.
Recently, the PQ/PI Branch shifted its focus to the export of citrus to Trinidad and Tobago, June plum and soursop to the United States, and pepper, yam, and mangoes to Barbados. We are now in the final stages of citrus negotiations with Trinidad and Tobago,” Mr. Charles said.
For exporters interested in accessing new markets, the Minister encourages them to “contact the PQ/PI Branch, so that we can commence the necessary market access processes”.
Meanwhile, the PQ/PI Branch is working to achieve International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 17020:2012 system conformity for its export services.
Mr. Charles said this accreditation will boost confidence in Jamaica’s export inspection and certification processes.
He added that it will allow the Branch to significantly advance its business processes and services, whilst becoming more internationally recognised as an inspection body that has proper procedures and systems.
“I am pleased to inform you that the PQ/PI Branch is now in the final stages of achieving this goal in 2023, having successfully submitted an application to the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC). [This] after completing a series of phases that include a gap analysis, documentation development, and staff training, along with the implementation of a new business culture,” Mr. Charles said.
He advised that the PQ/PI Branch is presently at the stage of engaging exporters, through sensitisation, for processes such as this one.
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