By Judana Murphy
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is reporting that the economy grew by an estimated 1.4 percent during the April to June 2025 quarter, compared with the corresponding period in 2024.
Speaking at the PIOJ’s hybrid quarterly press briefing on Tuesday, director general, Dr Wayne Henry, said the outturn for the review quarter largely reflected continued growth in most industries.
During the review period, the Goods Producing Industry grew by 3.8 percent, driven by growth in three of four industries, while the Services Industry increased by 0.5 percent.
“Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing and the Accommodation and Food Service industries – two industries that were hardest hit by the weather-related disruptions of 2024 – were key drivers of this positive performance. Both industries have entered into a new growth phase with current output levels surpassing their pre-hurricane Beryl output levels,” Dr Henry said.
He noted that growth in the economies of Jamaica’s major trading partners, which supported external demand, was among the factors that influenced performance during the review quarter.
Dr Henry further shared that an increase in the labour force by 24,200 people and higher levels of consumer and business confidence levels, which drove domestic demand, also contributed to growth.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry grew by 9.8 percent, reflecting the impact of more favourable weather conditions, which contributed to an increase in output per hectare and an 11 percent expansion in the area of domestic crops reaped.
Dr Henry advised that based on current output levels, the industry has fully recovered from the shock of Hurricane Beryl and is now in a new growth phase.
“The performance of the industry stemmed from a 14.1 per cent growth in the output of other agricultural crops. Increased production was recorded in all nine crop groups, led by cereals, up 27.8 percent; potatoes up 22.9 per cent; vegetables up 18.9 percent; condiments up 18.5 per cent; yams up 11.1 percent, and legumes up 7.4 percent,” Dr Wayne Henry detailed.
Growth was further bolstered by a 2.7 percent increase in traditional export crops, a 3.6 percent expansion in post-harvest activities, and a 3.1 percent increase in animal farming, which was sufficient to outweigh a 25.5 percent decline in egg production.
Real Value Added for the Mining & Quarrying industry decreased by 3.5 percent, reflecting declines in both alumina and crude bauxite production. Alumina production contracted by 5.5 percent, while crude bauxite production reduced by 1.5 percent, reflecting reduced demand from a major overseas purchaser.
Meanwhile, output of the Manufacturing industry was estimated to have grown by 1.4 percent.
Dr Henry said an estimated growth of 1.6 percent in Real Value Added was recorded for the Construction industry, reflecting an upturn in both the Building Construction and Other Construction components.
“Preliminary data on sales of Construction inputs indicate a 0.8 percent increase in real terms, while cement supply to the market expanded by 8.5 percent,” he said.
Dr Henry added that the sector benefited from a 745.9 percent increase in housing starts by the National Housing Trust, driven by 2,077 new starts at the Longville Park housing scheme and a higher work-in-progress supported by the strong increase in housing starts reported in the previous quarter.
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