Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Producers Group and Chairman of Kingston Wharves Jeffrey Hall is expecting reciprocal benefits from strengthened partnership between businesses in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, especially around trade.
Mr. Hall was speaking as a delegation of 30 business leaders from the Dominican Republic toured Kingston Wharves on Wednesday (Feb. 22). The team was in Jamaica as part of Dominican Week, staged under the auspices of the Dominican Republic Chamber of Commerce in Jamaica and that country’s Embassy.
Mr. Hall who is also the inaugural Chairman of the DR Chamber of Commerce in Jamaica, noted: “We are working closely with the embassy to improve relations between businesses in Jamaica and businesses in the DR.”
“We believe there is a huge opportunity for more trade and investment in the northern Caribbean; there was a (traditional) view before now that even though we were geographically close, language divided us. So the purpose of staging DR Week in Jamaica is to break down that barrier,” Mr. Hall stated.
The Jamaica Producers Group has business interest in the Dominican Republic, operating snack, ice and water manufacturing and distribution in the country. JP’s Geest Shipping line also calls in the Dominican Republic, and there is strong shipping connectivity between JP subsidiary Kingston Wharves and Ports in the Dominican Republic, particularly through Seaboard Marine.
Citing the importance of touring the port, Mr. Hall noted: “The port is a very useful entry point to understanding the business prospects in a country. It can give you a wide network of relationships, a sense of the law and business norms, and the appetite for trade; and that is really, really important for doing business anywhere, particularly in the Caribbean.”
Minister-Counselor, Deputy Chief of Mission at the DR Embassy in Jamaica Miguel Balaguer underscored the importance of bringing the business delegation from his country to the first ever Dominican Week in Jamaica and to view operations at Kingston Wharves. “We expect that relations will be strengthened and we will derive more possibilities and synergies between KWL and the businesses from Dominican Republic, some of whom are already partners,” he noted.
According to Comtrade, Jamaican exports to the Dominican Republic was US$2.7million in 2021. Exports from the Dominican Republic to Jamaica in that period amounted to some US$85.6 million.
Jeffrey Hall (centre), Managing Director of the Jamaica Producers Group and Chairman of Kingston Wharves makes a presentation of JP products and other Jamaican items to Miguel Balaguer, Minister-Counselor, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Dominican Republic Embassy in Jamaica. Mr. Balaguer led a delegation of 30 business persons from his country on a tour of Kingston Wharves terminal on Wednesday (Feb. 22). The group was in Jamaica as part of the celebration of Dominican Week in Jamaica staged by the Embassy of the Dominican Republic and the DR Chamber of Commerce in Jamaica. Kingston Wharves Corporate Experience and Client Experience Manager Simone Murdock takes part in the presentation.
A delegation of 30 business leaders from the Dominican Republic toured Kingston Wharves yesterday (Feb. 2022). They were in Jamaica as part of Dominican Week, staged under the auspices of the Dominican Republic Chamber of Commerce in Jamaica and that country’s Embassy. Jeffrey Hall, Managing Director of the Jamaica Producers Group and Chairman of the Kingston Wharves Group hosted the delegation which was led by Minister-Counselor, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Dominican Republic Embassy in Jamaica Miguel Balaguer.
