The Plant Quarantine Produce Inspection (PQPI) Division, Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, will be the next border regulatory agency (BRA) to implement a platform under the Jamaica Electronic Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT).
JSWIFT is a one-stop-shop facility designed to provide fully automated services to enable traders and their representatives to transact all attendant business engagements online through a single portal, thereby having access to the services provided by all cross-border regulatory agencies.
The programme falls under the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.
Speaking at a recently held Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank, Minister of State in the Industry, Investment and Commerce Ministry, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, said that the PQPI is expected to have the platform ready before the end of the year.
“We are ensuring that all the BRAs that fall under the Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will be brought on board in a whole-of-government approach,” he said.
JSWIFT is intended to enhance trade facilitation and the delivery of services.
The activities facilitated under the initiative include securing the requisite approvals from the relevant regulatory agencies or authorities for goods being imported and exported.
A total of 20 government entities that handle import and export transactions are expected to implement JSWIFT across two phases.
Dr. Dunn shared that the Pesticide Control Authority (PCA) and the Veterinary Services Division are also to be included in the first phase of the programme.
“We are committed, as a Government, to ensuring that business with our departments and agencies is done in a manner that ensures that these businesses perform optimally, because we are their steady partner in realising greater efficiency,” he noted.
JSWIFT is being hosted and operated by the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA).
Source: https://jis.gov.jm/plant-quarantine-produce-inspection-division-to-implement-platform-under-jswift/