DESPITE THE Government's best efforts, there was a marginal increase in poverty over the last financial year.
According to the 2002 Economic and Social Survey, tabled in the House last Thursday, the incidence of individual poverty was 1.3 per cent higher in 2002 than in 2001. Poverty has moved from 16.9 per cent and now stands at 18.2 per cent.
Speaking, on Thursday during his opening presentation in the 2003/2004 Budget Debate, Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, stated that "the preliminary tables, which are available to me, demonstrate that this increase is mainly related to the parishes most affected by floods. For example, Portland, St. Thomas, St. Ann and Clarendon". The Finance Minister asked that the society not "draw too many conclusions" from the one year change. He suggested that Jamaica wait on data from the next survey "to see whether the impact of the floods would have been reversed."
According to information revealed in the Economic and Social Survey, the increased incidence of poverty could be seen in all three areas in the country, the Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMR), other towns and rural areas. In the KMR, there was a movement from 7.6 per cent to 9.9 per cent. This was followed by a movement from 13.3 per cent to 17 per cent in other towns and 23.1 to 24.1 per cent in rural areas.
"On the other hand, the parish of St. Mary is an interesting case - it shows more than 55 per cent reduction in poverty between 1998 and 2002 - from 38.2 per cent to 16.8 per cent - that is below the national average," Dr. Davies stated.
The Minister explained that the reduction in poverty in St. Mary was partly a result of a significant increase in levels of public investment in that parish since 1998.
The Economic and Social Survey also revealed that children, as a group, are the most affected by poverty. "While children account for 39.4 per cent of the population they accounted for 47.9 per cent of persons below the poverty line. Approximately 21.6 per cent of all children fall below the poverty line," the survey stated.
It added that the elderly population was also "slightly overrepresented" among the poor. The elderly, who comprise 10.2 per cent of the population, reportedly account for 11.5 per cent of the poor.
