Changes ahead for Nutribun and milk
Published:Friday | February 25, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Philip Hamilton, Gleaner Writer
THE GOVERNMENT is in the process of divesting Nutrition Products Limited (NPL) - the Ministry of Education's agency responsible for providing milk and nutribun snacks to more than 136,000 students islandwide, through its school-feeding programme.
Education Minister Andrew Holness, in making the announcement in Parliament on Tuesday, said his ministry did not have the money required to maintain efficient operations at the agency.
"The capital investment that is required will not be within the Ministry of Education's budget anytime soon," said Holness who confirmed that a decision had already been taken internally to divest the agency's operations.
Holness, who was responding to questions posed by Member of Parliament for Central Kingston Ronald Thwaites, said his ministry had spent $780 million this year on Nutrition Products Limited's operations.
Manufacturing
He said $468 million or 60 per cent of the total budget was used to obtain raw materials, several of which were imported by local suppliers and used in manufacturing of products supplied to schools.
Holness also pointed out that every effort was being made to include local eggs, juices as well as other raw material into the school-feeding programmne through local suppliers, noting it was easier to work with private providers in ensuring these were incorporated.
"The Ministry of Education and NPL are in full support of, and have always encouraged the inclusion of locally produced goods into the programme," said Holness.
He said while a Cabinet decision had been taken for the introduction of natural juices to the school-feeding programme, there had been delays in sourcing funds for purchasing and installing equipment, as well as the health challenges posed by introducing eggs into programme.
Holness said a technical cooperation grant from the Inter-American Development Bank would be used to conduct studies as to how the school-feeding programme could integrate local agricultural products in a sustainable manner.