DBJ APPROVED J$1.35 BILLION IN LOANS LAST YEAR
Sectoral Debates Throne Speech Estimates of Expenditure Opening Budget Debate Minister of Industry & Tourism's Budget Presentation Leader of the Opposition's Budget Presentation Prime Minister's Budget Presentation Closing Budget Debate NEWS ITEMS No Tax Budget Presented by Finance Minister Significant Positives During Last Fiscal Year – Dr. Davies Work on North Coast Highway Influencing New Investments in Tourism BoJ Made No Advances to Central Gov’t – Finance Minister $80 Million Pool of Funds for ICT Sector Realistic Energy Policy Proposed DBJ Approved J$1.35 Billion in Loans Last Year Next>>			KINGSTON, April 16 (JIS): The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) approved loans totalling J$1.35 billion and US$27.7 million during the 2003/04 fiscal year. Under this, the main sectors to benefit were: Agriculture with J$263 million, Agro-industry with J$284 million, Manufacturing with J$445 million and Tourism with J$210 million and US$27 million. Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies who made the disclosure while opening the Budget Debate at Gordon House on Thursday (April 15), said the approvals for manufacturing was a good one and hopefully a clear sign of recovery. He stressed that the DBJ was not just for big farmers, big manufacturers and big hoteliers and pointed out that during the year the tillage service to provide low cost tillage services to small farmers was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority and the Jamaica Agricultural Society. A first tranche of $10 million was made available to the JAS, through MINAG, to introduce a sustainable marketing facility for local produce. Meanwhile, 200 cocoa farmers with a total of 286 hectares of land (715 acres) have so far accessed the Cocoa Rehabilitation Project.