ABSTRACT
Jamaica's economy is founded on traditional plantation agriculture; but, bauxite and tourism have become the main foreign exchange earners and Jamaica is the world's third largest producer of bauxite and alumina. Industry is expanding slowly and has progressed from the processing of a limited number of agricultural products to the production of a range of consumer goods. The former Government, in attempts to stem the slide in agricultural production, encouraged cooperatives, acquired and leased arable land to subsistence farmers, established pioneer farms for urban youths to participate in agriculture, and created agricultural loan schemes. Jamaica depends upon imported petroleum for 90 percent of its commercial energy needs; bagasse supplies a further 9 percent, and hydropower the remaining 1 percent. Medium-term objectives largely focus on energy supply and demand diversification, on the basis of detailed technical studies. Better coordination and control of the supply and demand of energy are being planned by the Ministry of Mining and Energy.
