Jamaica will sign a commercial agreement with South Africa later this month that will allow for businesses in both countries to collaborate on nutraceuticals, research and development, a senior official of the South African High Commission said.
Charge D’Affaires Phillip Riley, said the agreement will be signed during the visit to South Africa by Jamaican Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Dr. Andrew Wheatley and Director General of the Jamaican National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST), Professor Errol Morrison, within a few days.
Riley said the accord will supplement the current partnership in place for bi-lateral scientific research on nutraceuticals, which came into effect in 2015.
“The agreement will allow bush medicine to transition into the modern economy,” Riley said, adding that this new bi-lateral agreement between both countries, will be looking at how “these plants can feed us better; give us better nutrition; and how we can take those ingredients, commercialize them and turn them into businesses.”
The South African diplomat said that the agreement will also involve academia, researchers and business persons.
