§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Overseas Development Administration is giving the Windward Islands and Jamaica to diversify into exports other than bananas over the next decade.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAssistance for economic diversification to reduce dependence on bananas has been a significant part of our aid programme to the Windward Islands for many years. Current commitments to agricultural diversification total £3.5 million, and this will be an important area for future aid allocations.
Our Jamaica programme focuses on other sectors, though we are providing a grant of £500,000 for the rehabilitation of smallholder coffee following hurricane damage.
The aid programme also helps with diversification into tourism, through improvements to supporting infrastructure such as roads and water and electricity supplies, and with training.
Investment by the Commonwealth Development Corporation—CDC—supports the growth of the coffee industry in Jamaica and tourism and processing of local production for export in the region as a whole. The CDC is also assisting the banana industry in Jamaica to increase its productivity and thus to improve its competitive position in the European market.