THE GLEANER, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017 • www.jamaica-gleaner.com •gleanerjamaica •E7

jamaicagleaner • FEATURE

JNSBL open for climate businessPetre Williams-Raynor
Contributing Editor

JAMAICA NATIONAL
Small Business Loans(JNSBL) is looking to vamp
up interest in its US$2.5-million
adaptation to climate changeline of credit, catering
exclusively to small andmedium-size enterprises(SMEs) from the agriculture,tourism and related sectors.
“In the coming months,JNSBL will be strengthening its
efforts through collaborations
with related parties in thetourism and agro value chain tofurther promote the special loanfacility,” said Jacqueline Shaw
Nicholson, JNSBL’s
communications and client
services manager.
“We will also support theeducation of persons on mattersof climate change as well as
adaptive and mitigation
techniques available to them,”
she told The Gleaner.
So far, SMEs have drawn
down on J$19.5 million of theavailable funds to finance theinstallation of rainwater
harvesting systems, drip
irrigation systems, water
recirculation systems, solar
water heating system, andenergy smart system.
The first loan was approvedin December, following theofficial launch of the lineof credit earlier in theyear.
“JNSBL ispleased with thetake up of the loan
facility so far, with
51 per cent to thetourism sector and 49
per cent to the agro
sector in disbursements,”
said Shaw Nicholson.

SELECTION CRITERIAFor those persons wishing todraw down on the funds,
criteria for selection include not
only that they be operating a
tourism or agro-related
business, but also that proposed
projects must enhance theircapacity to cope better with theincreased changes and effectsof climate change.
“Collateral is required andcan include machinery andequipment of trade or to bepurchased, motor vehicles thatcan be comprehensively insured

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Seated (from left): Audrey Sewell, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation; Milverton Reynold,
managing director of the Development Bank of Jamaica; Gillian Hyde, general manager of JN Small Business Loans, and Allison
Rangolan McFarlane, chief technical director, Environmental Foundation of Jamaica sign the memorandum of understanding tofacilitate the administration of the Climate Change Adaptation Line of Credit last year. Looking on are Minister without Portfolio in
the Office of the Prime Minister Daryl Vaz and Therese Turner-Jones, general manager of the Inter-American Development
Bank’s Caribbean Department.
or registeredtitles as well aslien on deposits,
guarantors are also
acceptable,” added ShawNicholson.
The maximum loan amountthat can be awarded is $5
million, with an interest rate offour per cent per annum on thereducing balance.
However, Shaw Nicholson
said that “borrowers can alsoutilise other loan facilities
available at JNSBL to furthersupport project implementation
where needed”.
The line of credit is one of
two financing mechanisms
under the Pilot Programme for

Climate Resilience (PPCR).
The other is the Special Climate
Change Fund (SCCAF) that isbeing administered by theEnvironmental Foundation of
Jamaica (EFJ).
The SCCAF finances
adaptation and disaster riskreduction projects and coverassociated programmemanagement cost.
It is accessible bycommunity-basedorganisations, other civilsociety groups and selectpublic-sector agencies
specifically for “clearly definedhigh-priority activities,
particularly related to building
the resilience of the naturalenvironment and contributing tolivelihoods protection andpoverty reduction”, according
to project documents.
The EFJ recently awarded 18grants to the tune of $84.9
million to undertake projects
designed to boost the ability ofcommunities to respond toclimate change threats.

THREATSCounted among those threats
are increased and/or more
severe extreme weather events,
such as hurricanes and droughts,
which destroy agricultural andtourism livelihoods.
Climate change also brings
warmer temperatures, which,too, have negative implications
for not only human livelihoods
but also marine life. This isgiven, as one example, thenegative effects of increased sea
surface temperatures on coral
reefs.
It is a look at these
implications that, at least inpart, provides the basis of
JNSBL’s decision to pursue
administration of the line ofcredit under the PPCR.
“Increasingly, agro-relatedactivities were experiencing
negative changes in production
yield, both in quality andquantity, which affected theirability to earn as per usual. We,
therefore, wanted to assist witheducating our clients — andstaff — on matters of climatechange and assist them to obtainthe systems and techniques
necessary to adequately respondto matters of climaticvariability,” Shaw Nicholson
said.
“JNSBL is also cognisant of
the wider threat climate change
poses to food security and as apart of our own mandate tosupport economic sustainability,
JNSBL wanted to provide wellneeded support to the MSME
sector to adequately mitigate
and adapt for sustainability,” sheadded.
pwr.gleaner@gmail.com

Japanese apartmentcomplex a model for
effective waste management
complex move fast,” said
Yahata, adding that the over 700
apartments in the three-building
complex also attract a premium.

Amitabh Sharma
Contributor

HAVING SPENT his life
working for a real-estatecompany, Mineo Yahata isadding value as thesuperintendent of the threeapartment complex he manages
in the city of Kawasaki, Japan.
But he is not the security incharge, as his title might suggest.
Rather, this calm, petite-framed
gentleman is policing waste
collection and disposal.

UNIQUE PROGRAMME
Yahata and his team of 21
personnel – all employees of
Haseko Community Inc, aTokyo-based maintenancecompany – are running a uniqueand proven effective garbagecollection programme for thelast six years.
“There are particular days
assigned for the type of garbage
that is to be disposed of, whichis kept outside the apartment
door by the owners,” informedYahata. “This is collected andbrought to the central garbagecollection centre in the‘TRASH TO CASH’

Mineo Hata, Haseko
Community, Inc, supervisor at
the Foreseum condominium
complex in Kawasaki City,Japan.
apartment complex.”
While Mondays aredesignated for plastic waste,
Wednesdays and Saturdays arefor kitchen waste, while Fridays
are for the collection ofrecyclable plastic and cans.
The garbage, which is to be
put in translucent plastic bags, isbrought to a collection centre
where it is stored in green plastic
bins, and picked up by
designated garbage truck.
This service is funded withmonthly maintenance fees paidby the residents of the complex.
“The apartments in thisKawasaki, home to more than
1.4 million people, is one ofsmallest and cleanest cities ofJapan. The effort to make thecity clean, sustainable
environmentally friendly is a
result of the local government
implementation of core principleof ‘trash to cash’.
The city currently has threewaste-treatment facilities, whichconvert certain plastic and paper
to raw materials that are sold to
local manufacturing facilities.
Yahata and his team,
meanwhile, are working hard to
keep their neck of the woods
pristine.
“The apartment owners arevery happy with this facility,” hesaid. “We never had anyone
defaulting on the (maintenance)
payment, but if someone does,
we will put their photo on thecommunity notice board.”
amitabh.sharma@hotmail.com

PHOTOS BY FLOYD K TAKEUCHI/ WAKA PHOTOS

Workers at the Ukishima Waste Treatment Center hand-sort plastic bag waste forrecycling.