Montego Bay and Western Jamaica business operators are breathing a sigh of relief following news that the time it will take to complete transactions has been drastically reduced.

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) now has in place a fast track facility which, according to its Business Facilitation Manager, Beverly Moses, provides a solution for new and existing exporters who have little or no time to go around to various public agencies or stand in long lines.

Addressing business persons at the launch of the initiative at the Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay last Thursday, November 17, 2011, Moses revealed that they have partnered with a number of agencies to have all the services in one place for the benefit of business operators in Montego Bay and Western Jamaica.

"We have partnered with the Trade Board, Bureau of Standards, Customs Department, Companies of Office of Jamaica, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Ministry of Agriculture Plant Quarantine and its Veterinary Services Division and the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office JIPO," Moses explained.

JAMPRO will now also facilitate a number of services ranging from advice and support on export advisory services and procedures to the processing of applications and acceptance of fees for various licenses, permits and certificates. Export clients will also have the added benefit of gaining access to key liaison officers in each agency from the convenience of the JAMPRO offices to assist with any technical information and/or support related information should the need arise.

President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Davon Crump, thanked Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, for moving swiftly to address their concerns.

"We at the Chamber feel that the removal of bureaucracies is important in doing business ...for some time we have been making an appeal for the Companies Office of Jamaica to set up an office in Western Jamaica...this would be one of the first steps to removing bureaucracies when we are conducting legitimate business," Crump added.

He gave his and the Chamber's commitment that they would be assisting in promoting the service which he noted would be a welcome relief for business operators who do exporting.

Meanwhile, Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, declared that the amount of time it took to make important transactions was not the way to go if the country was to benefit economically.

He declared that the technology was in place to allow business operators to deal with those matters from the comfort of their offices without having to go to a physical space.

"We are looking at reducing the need for people to go to a physical location to conduct these transactions...the technology exists for you to stay in your offices, download a form and pay online with a credit card...this has to be the direction in which we will go," Minister Tufton added.

JAMPRO's Montego Bay office is located at the UGI Building, 30 Market Street.