Trade has always played a major role in the Jamaican economy, with the value of exports and imports totalling over 50 percent of GDP. Exports are broken down into two categories: traditional and non-traditional. Traditional exports are in the areas of agriculture, mining and manufacturing and include: bananas, citrus, coffee, cocoa and pimento; bauxite, alumina and gypsum; as well as sugar, rum and products made from citrus, coffee and cocoa.
Non-traditional exports include food products such as cucumbers, pumpkins, dasheens, sweet potatoes, yams, mangoes, papayas, ackee, and fish. Other important non-traditional exports are beverages and tobacco, cut flowers, limestone, chemicals, apparel, furniture and light manufactured goods.
Jamaica’s main export partners are the USA, Canada, UK, Norway, countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Japan and countries of the European Union (EU).
Jamaica’s main imports are food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment and construction materials. The main import partners are the USA, CARICOM, Germany, Venezuela, France and Japan.
Jamaica is one of the world’s leading exporters of bauxite and alumina. Jamaica is also considered as the home of the world’s finest rums, coffee and pimento. However, there is usually a balance of trade deficit equivalent to about 20% of GDP.
Jamaica-Japan Trade Relations
Japan is an important trading partner for Jamaica, but the balance of trade is heavily in Japan’s favour. For the fiscal year ending in March 2006, Jamaica’s exports to Japan were valued at US$19.8 million, while Japan’s exports to Jamaica were valued at US$127 million, approximately. The value of Jamaica’s exports to Japan in 2005 declined due to the damage caused to the Jamaican coffee industry as a result of Hurricane Ivan in late 2004.
Exports from Japan to Jamaica
The main items exported from Japan to Jamaica are new and used motor vehicles, electronic and domestic appliances, machinery and heavy equipment, photocopiers and iron and steel. Around ninety percent of Jamaican motor vehicles are imported from Japan.
Exports from Jamaica to Japan
The main exports from Jamaica to Japan are coffee, cocoa, alcoholic beverages, records and compact discs, and sauces and spices. Over 80 per cent of Jamaica’s Blue Mountain Coffee is exported to Japan. Jamaican rum is also highly regarded in Japan for its fine quality, while Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is growing in popularity and is now available in supermarkets in Tokyo and other cities. Compact Discs featuring Jamaican reggae and dancehall artistes are readily available in music stores throughout Japan.
Please click here for a list of Japanese Distributors of Jamaican products.
Blue Mountain Coffee
Jamaica has been exporting high quality coffee since 1737.
Blue Mountain is a geographic expression confined to a specific area in Jamaica. The coffee grown in this area has become world famous for its distinctive aroma, noticeable sweetness and clean brew. The high quality of Blue Mountain Coffee is mainly attributed to the particular ecological features of the Blue Mountains, particularly the soil type, the rainfall regime, the cloud cover and the misty mountain air which keeps the plants damp and cool. Jamaican farmers also employ special methods of germinating, growing and harvesting coffee to produce a high-yield crop with optimum acidity.
Jamaican coffee comes from the Arabica Typica variety which yields beans which are more delicate and flavourful than the Robusta beans produced in other countries. It also has two-thirds less caffeine than standard coffee.
Jamaica Trade and Invest – http://www.jamaicatradeandinvest.org
Jamaica Trade Point – http://www.jamaicatradepoint.com/
Jamaica Trade Board – http://www.tradeboard.gov.jm/
Planning Institute of Jamaica – http://www.pioj.gov.jm/default.asp
Bank of Jamaica – http://www.boj.org.jm/
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – http://www.caricom.org/
Jamaica Manufacturers Association – http://www.jma.com.jm/
Jamaica Exporters Association – http://www.exportjamaica.org/