KINGSTON, Jamaica -- From a downturn in tourism and remittances to layoffs, Caribbean nations are feeling the brunt of the global recession.

In Jamaica, where government officials recently called on the International Monetary Fund for help, Prime Minister Bruce Golding is asking the nation to tighten its belt and to be patient as the country tries to wade out of the global financial crisis.

But even as the country sees some progress -- interest rates are down, and a bauxite mine that had closed recently reopened -- Golding isn't ready to start celebrating.

As he prepares to reconstruct the budget, and secure buyers for the country's struggling sugar industry, he has called for a cut in government travel, frozen wages and asked police and health sector workers to show some patience.

Golding, whose government will be represented at this week's 13th annual Americas Conference in Miami, sat down with Miami Herald Caribbean correspondent Jacqueline Charles earlier this month to discuss how Jamaica was coping with the financial crisis.

There is optimism coming out of the United States that the worst of the recession has past. Do you share that view and if this is the case, what does it mean for the country?

Golding: I don't think the jury on that is entirely in yet because some of what appears to be a recovery may in fact be a cranking up of the productive elements in the economy to replenish depleted inventories and not necessarily any recovery of demand, and we still have to wait a little while before we'll be able to see that. Having said that, there is much concern as to whether the recovery that is expected and hoped for in the U.S. in terms of production, is going to be reflected proportionally in the recovery of lost jobs. If people don't get back their jobs then they're not likely to want to take holidays in Jamaica. If a substantial number of persons in North America remain unemployed, then they are not going to be able to purchase, whether it be Jamaican rum or Jamaican coffee.

Revenues are down, the country's debt is more than $6 billion and your government has had to give some big raises to police and health sector workers. Another raise is due, but you've asked them to be patient. Do you think they will?

Golding: I understand their anguish and I understand even their anger but the truth of the matter is the money is not there. And if it's not there, it can't be paid.

What is the priority of the government as it relates to its various financial obligations?

Golding: We are going to honor our debt obligations. That is the first call in our budget. After we honor our debt obligation what is left is to take care of everything else, which means that we have to try and get our debt service burden down. We have to work toward lower interest rates; we have been doing that.

Is the government considering layoffs?

Golding: I've given the assurance that there will be no public service retrenchment this fiscal year. Going forward, we have to see how we can reconfigure our fiscal obligation to bring our debt service, interest payments within 10 percent of GDP, and to bring public sector wages cost within 9 percent of GDP.

The government is putting a lot of emphasis and resources on ``value added'' -- or adding value -- to agriculture products. Is this push for agro-processing the silver-bullet?