Jamaica is the third largest of the Caribbean islands.

The island's 28,389.2 km2 (4,411 square miles) are dominated by magnificent mountains. The principal range runs east to west, and the country's summit, Blue Mountain Peak, at approximately 2,256 metres (7,402 feet), stands near its eastern end. The agricultural base of the country spans the plains by the sea to which the mountains descend. Kingston, situated in the south-eastern part of the island, is the capital city. The other city, Montego Bay, is the leading tourist resort and is located on the island's north-western coast.

The agriculture sector is headed by the following entities: Sugar Cane, Banana, Citrus, Coffee, Coconut, Yam, Papaya vegetables and livestock. The pesticide industry constitute 5-7 major importers/distributors that represent the prominent manufacturers of pesticides globally. There is one major formulator of pesticides and an array of farm stores that not only retail but also undertake repackaging of products to supply the demand for smaller quantities. The Jamaica Agricultural Chemicals Association (JACA) is the umbrella under which most of the distributors belong.

In Jamaica, The Pesticides Control Authority (PCA) is the governing body mandated through the Pesticides Act of 1975 to carry out the regulation and control of pesticide usage in Jamaica. The PCA is made up of representatives from public sector organisations that are involved in pesticide control. The Authority meets monthly and sets the policies for the control and regulation of the industry. Through the Registrar's Office, which is the working arm of the Authority, matters pertaining to Registration, Importation, manufacture, retail, use and disposal of pesticides are addressed. The Registry of licenced Pest Control Businesses and the Certified Pest Control Applicators are also maintained by the Registrar’s Office.

For 2004/2005, the total quantity of pesticide products Imported into Jamaica was 2,686,278.2 Kg. (see Table 1)

TABLE 1: IMPORTED PESTICIDE PRODUCTS INTO JAMAICA BY TYPE –APRIL 2004 – MARCH 2005

Insecticides and herbicides account for 72% of the total imported pesticides.
Pesticides used in agricultural sector represent over 60% of the pesticides imported.