On Wednesday, March 27, 2019, the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) team will disembark in the ‘Sunshine City’ of Portmore, St. Catherine for its seventh “Customs Meets the Community” Parish Engagement, to be held at the Portmore HEART/NTA Academy, in Waterford.
This is the second stop for the Customs Team in the parish of St. Catherine. The team first visited the parish (Spanish Town) in August 2017.
The “Customs Meets the Community” series are being held in order that the JCA can communicate more effectively with its customers, in keeping with its thrust to inform and educate stakeholders about Customs policies and clearance procedures, and other Customs related matters. The Portmore leg of the Engagement will focus on clearing items by courier, and provide other general information that may be relevant to participants/attendees.
The event will be streamed live from the Portmore HEART Academy and persons are encouraged to tune in (online platforms) for the presentations. The Agency is also encouraging persons with disabilities to participate in the event by attending, as well as logging on to the Social Media Platforms of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), which will be streaming the event. A Sign Language Interpreter will be on hand to facilitate effective dialogue with persons who are hearing impaired or deaf. The Agency recently hosted its first ‘Community Meets the Communit - The Diaspora Edition Online’ Series, which targeted the Jamaican Diaspora.
Since the introduction of its Parish Engagements, the Agency has taken a collaborative approach in educating its stakeholders, and has partnered with its border and regulatory agencies including the Plant Quarantine Unit, the Pesticides Control Authority, the Department of Cooperatives and Friendly Societies, the Agriculture Incentives Unit, the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office – JIPO, and the Post and Telecommunications Department (Parcels Post/Central Sorting Office). The Agency has also partnered with the Social Development Commission (SDC), which has assisted with mobilisation efforts.
Since May 2017, the Customs team has visited the parishes of St. Elizabeth, St. Catherine, Portland, St. Ann, Westmoreland and Clarendon, where the sessions were received with great appreciation by participants.
