Jamaica reviews JPS blackout report as health, agriculture and land reforms advance

Jamaica’s utility regulator is examining a preliminary Jamaica Public Service Company report on last Friday’s islandwide electricity outage, while the Government says it wants independent scrutiny of the final findings. The June 10 news bulletin also reported that Jamaica remains free of Ebola, with nine travellers linked to affected countries under monitoring but showing no symptoms.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said the travellers had been counselled by airport health officials, placed in mandatory self-quarantine and assigned to parish health departments for follow-up. The update followed Ebola reports in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and a World Health Organization emergency declaration concerning the DRC situation.

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz expressed concern that the JPS report points to causes resembling earlier grid failures. The final report is due within 30 days, and the Government plans to appoint an independent consultant. Vaz also referred to the Office of Utilities Regulation’s 2012 findings, which cited human error, maintenance weaknesses and grid infrastructure problems after a previous national blackout.

Agriculture resilience was another major focus. The Government announced a $145-million mini water catchment pond programme for drought-prone farming communities, along with more irrigation, tanks, mulch, water trucks and farm-road work. Over five years, irrigation is expected to reach another 6,000 hectares. Ninety-five greenhouses are planned for Clarendon, Manchester, St Ann and St Catherine at a cost of $800 million, with another $1.5 billion tied to the Green Climate Fund’s Adapt Jamaica project. Officials also highlighted organic farming policy work, youth agriculture support, scholarships, an AI-driven farm monitoring system, market data tools, $50 million in insurance for 5,000 farmers and new farmers’ markets.

Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth is to receive about US$20,000 in neonatal and paediatric equipment after Hurricane Melissa through Rotary and United Way partnerships.

In Parliament, Land Titling and Settlement Minister Robert Montague said Jamaica may need about 600,000 new titles to address untitled land, informal subdivisions and ownership disputes. Planned changes include digitisation, electronic titles from next year, South Korean-supported training for land professionals and a revolving loan fund to help small landowners pay survey fees. He also warned that no political representative or community figure can sell Crown land.

Business updates included the Small Business Association of Jamaica’s Growth and Resilience Conference launch at The Jamaica Pegasus, Bank of Jamaica data showing net international reserves at US$6.48 billion in May, and calls from JMEA Executive Director Kamisha Turner Blake for stronger exporter support. Regionally, Caribbean Development Bank discussions in Nassau urged faster action on high electricity costs, while Guyana launched a sustainable agriculture innovation hub with Brazil and IICA. In sports, 32 Jamaicans reached individual finals at the NCAA Division One Outdoor Championships in Oregon, and Russia beat Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in a friendly.