Ashford W. Meikle, Business Reporter

Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson (second left) elicits peals of laughter from, left to right, the Jamaica Manufacturers Association's (JMA) Ray Hadeed, past president, past president and founding member, C. Henderson Davis (centre), current president Doreen Frankson and president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, Mark Myers (right). Patterson was guest speaker at the launch Thursday of the JMA's 60th anniversary calendar of events, held at the JMA offices, Duke Street, Kingston. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

After years of lobbying by the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA), the Government will now adopt a procurement policy in favour of local manufacturers which will see government sourcing 10 per cent of its purchases from small and medium-sized local businesses.

Speaking at the media launch of the JMA's 60th anniversary at its offices on Duke Street, the Minster of Industry, Technology, Science and Commerce, Phillip Paulwell, who made the announcement, described it as a "tribute to former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and the JMA."

The policy was announced by Patterson shortly after he opened the 2002 JMA Expo, but bureaucratic red tape has stifled its implementation over the past five years.

"We have just concluded the consultation which includes the offices of the auditor general and the contractor general and we are now ready to take it to Cabinet and I believe it will be favourably dealt with," said Paulwell as he spoke with the Financial Gleaner on the sidelines of the media launch.

In the past, the JMA has criticised the government for awarding the contracts for the printing of primary school text books as well as the procurement of uniforms for government workers to overseas suppliers; yesterday the JMA's president, Doreen Frankson, welcomed the announcement.

"That would be phenomenal for our lobbying efforts and it would finally be something for manufacturers in this country," she told the Financial Gleaner.

Frankson has been particularly vocal of her criticism of what she has described, in the past, as the lack of a comprehensive manufacturing policy and state provision of low-cost funding for local manufacturers.

Last Christmas, Frankson had complained that the Ministry of Finance had consistently found ways of blocking manufacturers access under the policy.

Noting that procurement policies have been adopted by several Caribbean countries, including Trinidad - which is about to legislate it - Frankson rhetorically asked yesterday: "Government is the biggest spender and if the government does not buy from us, who will?"

With the expected approval by Cabinet, Paulwell says that the policy will be implemented shortly.

"Certainly by the time we get to the middle of the year we should have something in place," he said.

ashford.meikle@gleanerjm.com