PIOJ Director General Dr. Wayne Henry
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PIOJ Director General Dr. Wayne Henry
The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is warning that the country could take three to five years to return to pre-Hurricane Melissa output levels as the extensive damage from the storm continues to disrupt agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and community livelihoods.
The PIOJ says the recovery will require resilience building strategies on economic, social and environmental
fronts.
It noted that the speed and strength of the rebound will depend heavily on how quickly key humanitarian and economic support measures are rolled out.
As a result, the PIOJ is not expecting a resumption of economic growth before the October to December 2026 quarter.
PIOJ Director General Dr. Wayne Henry said the rebuilding effort will be large-scale and long-term, even as recovery crews continue to work across the island.
"There was significant loss of productive assets, which implies that an extended time is required to rebuild. Given that recovery from COVID took two years with productive assets in place, we anticipate that at least twice the time will be required for full recovery from Hurricane Melissa," he noted.
Dr. Henry said a damage and loss assessment report on the impact of the hurricane, led by the PIOJ with support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), has commenced and is expected to be completed in late December.
The PIOJ said the storm underscores the urgent need to re-examine and prioritise national plans and development initiatives to address the long-standing challenges that have limited Jamaica's ability to achieve stronger and more sustained economic growth.
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