One-minute Reads: News from across Jamaica

Additional money for drought programme

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green has announced the injection of an additional $60 million into the national drought mitigation programme, to assist farmers navigating the severe dry spell impacting the country.

This is in addition to the $149-million drought mitigation strategy the minister previously announced, based on projections from the Meteorological Service of Jamaica. This allocation will focus on immediate relief, as well as long-term water management solutions. Green stated that $20 million will be used for trucking water to the farmers, and the bigger portion will be used to provide storage and drip irrigation support, as well as build catchment ponds.

“So, we are on a drive now to build retention ponds with our farmers, with our community groups, so that they can better face these increased dry temperatures,” he added.

Disruptions affecting eFitness certificate processing

The Island Traffic Authority (ITA) is advising the public that the Fitness Management System is currently experiencing intermittent technical disruptions that are affecting the processing and issuance of Electronic Motor Vehicle Certificates of Fitness.

The ITA said it regrets any inconvenience this may cause and wishes to assure the public that “we are actively working with our service provider to resolve the issue and restore normal system performance as quickly as possible”.

In the meantime, the ITA said that the Jamaica Constabulary Force has been notified of the situation.

“Further updates will be provided as soon as normal service has resumed,” the ITA said in a release. For additional information or assistance, please email info@ita.gov.jm or contact the ITA through its official social media pages.

NFA announces changes to licence application process

The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) is advising all applicants of updated protocols governing the processing of fisher and vessel applications.

Effective September 1, applicants will receive a formal notification advising that their application will be closed after a specified period if the NFA is unable to reach them or if they fail to provide requested information within the agreed time frame. To help applicants avoid closure, the NFA is reiterating the specific deadlines for submitting required documentation. The NFA said that it currently has a significant number of applications pending completion because it is awaiting additional information from applicants.

Under the updated guidelines, for fisher applications, if the NFA cannot contact the applicant to obtain additional information, or if there is a delay on the applicant’s part, the application will be closed 30 days from the date of submission. For vessel applications, the time frame for providing additional information or complying with an officer’s instructions is 42 days, or six weeks, from the date of submission.

The Licensing and Registration Unit encourages all applicants to ensure their contact information is accurate and to respond promptly to all communications from the office. Once all required information is received, processing timelines for fisher applications is seven days to process and complete, whereas vessel applications will take 14 days to process and complete.

JCF offers condolences to fallen cop’s loved ones

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) High Command is expressing condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of 32-year-old Kenroy Pitter of Cheapside district, Middleton in Manchester.

Pitter was found unresponsive with wounds to his neck at the May Pen Police Station in Clarendon at 5 p.m. on Monday. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigations are ongoing. The JCF said that Pitter last served at the Transport Unit at the Clarendon Divisional Headquarters.

The JCF said that its Chaplaincy Services Branch, Medical Services Branch and Welfare Branch are providing support to the family members and colleagues of Pitter.