MINISTER OF Industry and Tourism, Aloun N'dombet Assamba, has said that to compete at the global level, Jamaica must meet the requirements of the International Bureau of Weights and Measurements, as verifying weights and measurements was an issue of concern in regional trading.
Speaking recently at the opening ceremony for the regional workshop and metrology symposium, titled, "For Our Health, Safety and Economic Prosperity", held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, Mrs. Assamba said a trusted system of measurements was required to achieve fair-trading and gain consumer confidence.
Pointing out that most Caribbean countries were now in the process of implementing weights and measures laws, she said, "we can now say with confidence that our capabilities in guaranteeing accuracy in measurements in Jamaica are world class and we have been active in ensuring that our Caribbean neighbours benefit from our experience."
She stated that in response to the urgent need for developing countries to establish the necessary physical and institutional standards and measurements, the country's standards and measurements facilities had been substantially upgraded.
The Minister highlighted the fact that the Bureau of Standards, Jamaica, (BSJ) had modern infrastructure for standards and measurements including 21 laboratories dedicated to metrology testing.
"Our labs are equipped with metrology and testing equipment which are recognised and highly rated by established international labs... engineers and technicians are also exposed to training at the highest level internationally."
MEETING REQUIREMENT
Noting that Jamaica had adopted the use of internationally recognised units of measurements in trade and services to enable manufacturers and service providers to compete internationally, the Tourism Minister said that by establishing relationships with international testing and measurement institutions, "we are able to keep up to date with developments within standards and measurements and ensure that units of measurements used in Jamaica are the same as elsewhere in the world."
Mrs. Assamba said a recent positive development in this direction was Jamaica's application for membership in the Metre Convention. The signing of Mutual Recognition Arrange-ments (MRAs) with member countries will enable Jamaica to have mutual acceptance of measurements in the trading of goods and services.
In 2001, a Sistema Inter-americano De Metrologia (SIM) Council rating among countries in the Americas, placed Jamaica in category three, as having a reasonably developed national metrology facility for agriculture, tourism, agro-industry and tourism.
The symposium, which was the fourth in a week-long series of standards, measurement, health and safety activities, was hosted by the Pan American Standards Commission, COPANT, the Bureau of Standards, Jamaica and the SIM (Inter-American System of Metrology).
