Background of JEA

JEA Organization Profile

The Jamaica Exporters’ Association (JEA) was formed in 1966 as a result of recommendation emerging from a Jamaica Industrial Development Corporation (JIDC) sponsored seminar which supported the need for an organization to guide export development. The Association is led by a fifteen member Board of Directors including its President, Vice Presidents and a Treasurer who are elected at the Annual General Meetings of the Organization. The Board of Directors provides Policy oversight and strategic direction for the activities of the Association.

Mission

The Jamaica Exporters’ Association is committed to national development through exports.

JEA Values:

Collaboration, competition, empowerment, entrepreneurship, growth, integrity and service.

The JEA will:

• Lead a change in the conversation about Jamaica’s international image from a negative one of identifying problems to a positive, solutions oriented one. 
• Collaborate with our stakeholders – members, donors, other associations to build trust and synergies
• Identify export opportunities – focussing on high value customer and product segments
• Embrace competition and contribute to increasing the competitiveness of Jamaican firms -  particularly Micro Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSME’s)
• Build a strong, vibrant Brand Jamaica, of which all Jamaicans can feel proud.

The JEA collaborated with Chemonics International and Fintrac Inc to administer the United States Agency for International Development, USAID funded Small Business Export Development Project which provided business development support and facilitated improvements in the use of information and communication technologies to beneficiaries in the agri-business, fresh produce, apparel, data entry and craft sectors between 1995 and 2000.

The JEA served as Lead Partner on the Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA funded CPEC Programme for Jamaica which ended in 2004. This project disbursed approximately Canadian $4 million to fifteen (15) sub-projects. Three (3) of these projects were directly coordinated by the JEA.

The JEA also served as the main National Agency for the European Union, EU CARIFORUM Research and Training Fund, administering grants of approximately US$400,000 to beneficiaries in the Agri-business sector.

The JEA implemented the three year Jamaica Cluster Competitiveness Project (JCCP) in collaboration with partner OntheFrontier providing an introduction to the use of the cluster methodology to build competitiveness in over three hundred (300) Jamaican firms in three clusters (Agri-business, Tourism and Entertainment). Building on the success of the JCCP the JEA in partnership with OntheFrontier and with funding support from the British Development Agency (DFID) established a subsidiary company the Competitiveness Company in 2005 for the provision of cluster advisory services, strategy coaching and market research.

Services

1. Financing - Through a non-collateralized working capital loan scheme.
2. Business Desk - This service with access to computers, email and fax supports, in particular, Micro and Small firms.
3. Resource Centre - Clients can benefit from hands-on assistance in desk research and Internet- based research for exporters.
4. Sector Networking and Mentoring - This service is provided and arranged by Client and Membership Services Officers on a one-on-one basis or through the facilitation of group meetings
5. Desktop Publishing - Assistance is provided with the preparation of brochures, business cards, newsletters, reports and flyers to selected export ready start-ups.
6. Business Planning Support - Business plan templates, and marketing plan outlines are offered for sale by the Association.
7. Productivity Tools - The Association provides interactive software, which generates export documentation, cash flow projections and inventory control applications.
8. Information Technology Support - Web site design and hosting.
9. Export Promotion and Market Development - Coordination of Trade shows and fairs, mission planning and itinerary support.
10. Export and Trade Statistics - Fresh produce export data, external trade statistics, and fresh produce terminal prices are provided by the Association.
11. Export Market Research: The Association’s staff, when requested, prepares product specific data, quality specifications, and industry profiles, equipment suppliers and other information, customized to meet the needs of clients for improving their export competitiveness.
12. Publications - Buyer Listings and Selected Country Profiles, JEA Exporter Manuals, Selected Tech Packs and Commercialization Bulletins, and the JEA Membership Listing are available to the exporting community.

The JEA has concentrated its attention, in the last twenty years particularly, on building the Business Delivery Services (BDS) component to SME’s. The JEA Staff  under the leadership of the Association’s General Manager integrates a systematic  approach in which market information, strategic planning, information technology, advocacy, operational and financial management, technical support and export market development are critical components of the firm-level   assistance to clients. Today, the JEA has over 220 member companies which represent a range of sub-sectors including agri-business, apparel, building products, chemicals, cosmetics, beverages, pharmaceuticals, electronics, furniture, crafts, and allied service industries.