Many less developed countries depend on a few traditional commodities for their foreign exchange earnings. These exports are subject to the vagaries of the world commodity markets which have declined in the 1980s. To bolster their dwindling foreign sales, some emerging nations have sought to foster new, non‐traditional exports. We examine the experience of Jamaica in its identification and targeting of such products for export. The actions adopted by the public sector for increasing export‐led growth and the corollary reactions of the private sector are ancillary but key considerations because these, in turn, develop general strategies for exporting non‐traditional products.