The Government is creating the environment to facilitate investments that can generate jobs and drive growth in the economy, says Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.

“There is no country that can grow without the innovation, expertise and commitment of our entrepreneurs,” he said.

“Once you make that decision to invest, we are proud of you. We want to encourage you and thank you because that is how Jamaica will grow,” he added.

The Prime Minister was delivering the keynote address at the official opening of CB Group’s multimillion-dollar Air Chill Poultry Processing Plant in St. Catherine on Wednesday (January 15).

The new plant, located in Hill Run, will see CB Chicken’s processing operations in Kingston to St. Catherine being accommodated under one roof.It will also enable a shift from water-based processing to air-chilling, a technology which uses cold, purified air to reduce the temperature of the birds after slaughter. Air chilling improves the taste of the chicken, reduces the risk of cross contamination and saves on the use of water.

Dr. Holness welcomed the investment by CB Group as well as plans by the company for further spending.

“The reason for that is confidence in Jamica… the Government will never do anything to destroy the economic environment that creates the confidence to invest,” he noted.

He assured that the Government will make the best decisions for the people of Jamaica, for consumers and “for those whose duty and job is to create investments in the country”.

The Prime Minster also highlighted the need to boost productivity and for persons to work smarter.He noted that productivity is not just about the worker “but how management structures the environment to be more efficient” and how the policymakers “create the environment in which people who own capital can create industries that empower their workers”.

The poultry plant, now the largest in the Caribbean, is located at CB Group’s 1,000+ acre eco-industrial park called “The Nest”. It will add to Jamaica’s self-sufficiency, food security, and CARICOM’s goal of reducing extra-regional imports by 25 per cent this year.

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Source: Gov’t Welcomes Investments to Grow the Economy – PM – Jamaica Information Service