Jamaica Bauxite Institute commits to long-term collaboration for sector advancement

The Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) has affirmed its commitment to ongoing collaboration with stakeholders to enhance the efficiency of the bauxite industry.

According to a statement released on April 22, 2024, the JBI intends to achieve its objectives by furnishing research-based guidance to industry participants and participating in initiatives aimed at safeguarding bauxite lands from depletion. Further insights into these collaborative efforts were provided in the Jamaica Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the fiscal year ending March 2025.

The document stated, “Accordingly, during the 2024/25 financial year, the JBI will conduct research in a bid to develop an efficient procedure to treat with the processing of bauxite and extraction of commercial minerals, with the first publication of related documentation by March 2025.”

“These projects aim to use idle lands to encourage entrepreneurship, particularly farming in bauxite communities.”

Furthermore, it was disclosed that eight greenhouses constructed as part of the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) are slated for repair, and a water harvest project under REDI II is being initiated.

The JBI aims to collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining and other public-sector bodies to ensure the ongoing distribution of land titles to resettled residents. Anticipated outcomes include the delivery of 70 titles in the fiscal year 2024/25.

Moreover, the institute strives to enhance its capabilities in analysing various sample types produced by the bauxite industry, encompassing the local industrial minerals sector.