March 8 was commemorated as International Women’s Day (IWD) with the theme, ‘Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World’. At the multilateral level, the three international trade organisations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Trade Centre (ITC); and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) are currently headed by women, one from the CARICOM region.

The Caribbean is recognised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as a region with a high percentage of female managers. The 2015 statistics showed Jamaica having one of the world’s highest percentage of female managers and a recent report from the World Economic Forum, using ILO 2019 statistics, has Saint Lucia among the top eight countries in the world with the highest number of female managers.

This is not usually reflected in politics, although the region has had several women holding the post of head of government: Eugenia Charles, Dominica; Janet Jagan, Guyana; Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaica; Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Trinidad and Tobago; and, currently, Mia Mottley, Barbados. A number of women have held, and are also holding, ministerial portfolios, though women are still in the minority in Cabinet appointments. In recent general elections, it does appear that more women are entering the political arena. Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, I learnt, have a quota for women candidates presented in general elections.

The CARICOM secretary general, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, in his IWD remarks stated that the future is more promising when women are equally represented alongside men in leadership roles. As a note, CARICOM’s deputy secretary general is a woman, Ambassador Manorma Soeknandan of Suriname.

WOMEN WITH MINISTERIAL PORTFOLIO IN FOREIGN TRADE

As an IWD encore, considering the theme of women in leadership at the national, regional and multilateral levels, I thought that I would highlight the women in the CARICOM region who currently have ministerial responsibility of the foreign trade portfolios in their countries.

CARICOM Heads, at their 32nd Intersessional Meeting, considered action required to generate economic recovery with the aim to build back better post-COVID-19. Improving intra- and extra-regional trade will make a vital contribution to job creation and economic growth and development. The five female ministers holding this important portfolio are:

1. Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, Jamaica. Minister Johnson Smith, an attorney-at-law, with qualifications in international relations and commercial law, was appointed to this post in 2016 and reappointed in 2020. She is the first woman to be assigned this portfolio in Jamaica. She has been a senator since 2009.
2. Senator Paula Gopee-Scoon, minister of trade, industry and enterprise development, Trinidad and Tobago. Minister Gopee-Scoon is also a an attorney. In another administration, she was a member of parliament and minister of foreign affairs. She was assigned the trade portfolio in 2015 and retained it in 2020.
3. Cheryl Sandra V. Husbands, MP, minister of foreign trade, Barbados. She was assigned this portfolio in 2018. Husbands has qualifications in international trade policy. She is a business consultant who was president of the Barbados Small Business Association and of the Caribbean Association of Small and Medium Enterprises.
4. Sarah Flood Beaubrun, MP, minister responsible for external affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister, Saint Lucia. She was assigned this portfolio in 2016. She held other ministerial portfolios in the past. Minister Beaubrun was also Speaker of the House and deputy permanent representative of Saint Lucia to the United Nations in New York. She is also an attorney.
5. Senator Wendy Colleen Phipps, minister of international trade, commerce, consumer affairs and labour, St Kitts/Nevis. She was assigned this portfolio in June 2020. A management consultant with training in mass communications, she was a vice-president of the OECS Business Council. In 2015, she was minister of health, community development, gender affairs and social services.

Women have been lauded for their leadership during this pandemic. We look to these women’s further leadership as the region strives to contain the COVID-19 virus and, indeed, endeavours to increase exports of goods and services in order to recover and build back better.

I am also taking this opportunity to salute all the women at the national and regional levels, in the public and private sectors, who are continuing the effort to make progress in intra- and extra-regional trade in these challenging times.

This article which was originally published by the Jamaica Gleaner was submitted by Elizabeth Morgan, Specialist in International Trade Policy and International Politics.

More than a decade has passed since the EU-Cariforum Economic Partnership Agreement, or EPA, was negotiated and signed.

The free-trade agreement with the European Union marked the end of preferential arrangements for Caribbean commodity exports and established a new asymmetric, region-specific basis for trade with the EU’s now 27 member states. Linked to measures intended to encourage development and regional integration, it is mirrored in most respects in a post-Brexit UK-Cariforum EPA.

For the EU, the EPA brought to an end years of battling with the United States and others over the World Trade Organization-compatibility of its long-standing preferential arrangements for its former colonies, reflecting a concern that without development-linked free trade agreements, the erosion of its preference for its traditional partners in the African Caribbean and Pacific group, or ACP, would be unstoppable.

More significantly, leading European governments had a high level if unspoken strategic objective. by pursuing a successful region-specific arrangement with the Caribbean, the EU could begin to differentiate its changing political and economic thinking about Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean.

The Caribbean saw it differently. A succession of forward-thinking Caricom Prime Ministers and trade negotiators wanted to use the EPA to establish a new and diversified export base in Europe to replace the region’s declining commodity exports and establish new ways to support development, deeper regional integration, and intra-regional trade.

Since then, the shape of global trade has changed dramatically, leaving the background and reasoning behind the EPA obscured in the wake of history, with only technical or contemporary media accounts to explain its role in the Caribbean’s slow post-colonial drift away from Europe.

The publication last month of a report prepared for the European Commission to evaluate the outcomes to date is therefore a valuable reminder and facts-based evidence of the extent to which the fundamentals of the relationship have changed and will probably continue to do so.

The 102-page study for the period 2008-2018 updates previous reports and considers performance against objectives in relation to development, the changing balance of trade, and the EPA’s impact on regional integration.

It is at its most interesting in relation to what it says about changing trade flows and, by extension, how the EU-Caribbean relationship may adapt, even fade, in the coming years. It provides one of the best general analyses of the present EU-Caribbean trade trajectory and a reason to ask whether post-pandemic, new US thinking may accelerate the regional trend away from trade with Europe?

Tellingly, the report notes that in 2018 Cariforum exports to the EU stood at €3.9 billion (US$4.7 billion) while exports from the EU were €5.1 billion (US$6.1 billion), resulting in an overall figure “practically the same as the total trade in 2008 at €9.5 billion”. It also observes that the average annual growth rate of Cariforum exports to the EU for the decade after the implementation of the EPA was just 2 per cent, while EU exports to Cariforum rose by 4 per cent.

Its authors make the point that while 18 per cent of Cariforum imports came from the EU in 2007, by 2018 this had fallen to 12 per cent. Indicating a lack of EU commercial interest in the Caribbean and little European awareness of the EPA, they note that over the same decade, Caribbean imports from countries other than the EU grew at a faster rate.

Cariforum imports of goods from the US in 2018, they observe, were almost four times larger than the value imported from the EU, because of the US’s efficiency in logistics, ease of doing business, geographical distance, language, and transport costs. They also recognise that imports from China are growing rapidly.

Interestingly, the report attempts to review the notoriously difficult to analyse trade in services with the Caribbean. Despite the sector accounting for 35 per cent of Cariforum GDP in 2017 and providing value-added GDP in some countries by as much as 75 per cent, the study provides evidence that the level of EU engagement is ‘largely similar to what it was at the start of the implementation of the EPA’ and Cariforum’s share of services exports to Europe had decreased.

On direct EU investment, the message is more complicated. While the report indicates that Caribbean countries ‘seem to especially stand out for receiving very high levels of FDI in relation to the size of their economies’, it is unable to disentangle the use by multinationals and others of special purpose entities to route financial transactions through Caribbean jurisdictions.

More helpfully when it comes to Brexit, it attempts to draw some preliminary conclusions by disaggregating the UK figures from those of the EU28. Observing that the UK has always been a major trading partner of Cariforum due to historical ties and the region’s use of the UK as an entry point into the EU market, it expresses uncertainty about whether trade flows will now decrease or reroute.

It notes that the share of Cariforum-UK trade has fluctuated between 20 per cent and 10 per cent of total Cariforum-EU trade but indicates that this too has been slowly decreasing to below the pre-EPA level. UK trade, it says, constitutes 11 per cent of total EU exports to Cariforum and 13 per cent of total EU imports and in total amounted to €1.6 billion (US$1.9 billion) In 2018.

Despite the EPA’s heavy institutional structures for political, parliamentary, and civil society dialogue and oversight, the report’s authors suggest that such bodies have not ‘focused enough’ on finding solutions to specific situations affecting individual countries. Despite it being hard to overstate the future importance of services exports from the region, they add, a proposed Committee on Trade in Services has not been established.

The report deserves a full reading. It asks questions about issues that the private sector would take as givens. Most notably, in an almost throwaway line, the report observes “the lack of a joint mechanism for EPA monitoring”. This means its authors say, “there re are no formal benchmarks or indicators to assess the effectiveness of the EPA”, affecting the extent to which the EU and the Caribbean have objective data on which to make decisions regarding the operation of the EPA.

This is a fundamental question which requires an answer. Without a public measure any further decline in the Caribbean’s relationship with Europe will go unnoticed.

Link to EU-Cariforum study – https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2020/february/tradoc_158657.pdf

This article was originally published by the Jamaica Gleaner . It was written by David Jessop, a consultant to the Caribbean Council. Email: david.jessop@caribbean-council.org. To access previous columns, visit: www.caribbean-council.org/research-analysis.

The Caribbean is bursting with creative talent, much of which is in the music industry. Often, musicians start out honing their talent as a hobby, and struggle financially to make a viable living. Most Caribbean musicians use live performances as their main route to revenue generation, unlike artists outside of the region who have often been able to capitalise on generating revenue streams from digital platforms.

To support the artists’ leveraging the digital space, Caribbean Export Development Agency has hosted a number of initiatives, as part of the 11th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP). Since 2017, the Agency has worked with Business Support Organisations (BSOs) specifically the Coalition on Services Industries (CSIs) from across the region to enable those involved in the industry to participate in the Business of Music (BOM) online self-learning platform and face to face workshops. In 2019, a new dimension was developed to this training involving instructor led webinars followed by a two-day workshop in collaboration with COSCAP (Copyright Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Inc.) and the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) and the ‘knowledge company’ Music Ally Ltd in Barbados. Most recently, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Agency embarked upon a 60-hour Virtual Regional Song Writing and Music Production Training workshop. Supporting the development of artists beyond hobby-type endeavours was a key driving factor for this workshop.

Coordinated by Herric Horne, a Vincentian Music Executive and owner of Island Network Inc., a full-service artist management and music development company, the workshop hosted some 35 singers, songwriters, and producers from across the Caribbean.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm when it came to certain topics such as how do you monetize your intellectual property and create different revenue streams. The struggle is to get the mindset of the practitioner right, get them to understand that we operate a business and understand how to run the business. In a global context, we are rich in talent like any geographic location but in terms of business opportunities, we need to be on a bigger playing field with the bigger players to yield that return that is due to us,” Mr. Horne said.

The Virtual Regional Song Writing and Music Production Training workshop was developed in collaboration with the OECS Competitive Business Unit and resulted in some 23 tracks being produced for a virtual showcase aimed at international music executives.

To develop the tracks, cross-genre collaboration was encouraged with participants; artists, producers, songwriters from different countries working together and leveraging skills of expert producers. Lead tutor Shamel Hughes (USA) together with De Red Boyz (Barbados), Parry Jack (St. Vincent and the Grenadines based in USA), Kasey Phillips (Trinidad and Tobago based in USA), Krishna Lawrence (Dominica), Christopher Birch (Jamaica) and Grammy Award winning Marcus Allen and Andrew Clifton (USA) proved invaluable for participants .

Latin Will, an artist and producer from the Dominican Republic, shared that production was his most favourite part of the training. Participants were placed in seven groups and rotated daily to work with seven expert industry producers. “I’m a mix engineer but I learned from some amazing mixing and mastering tricks from our tutor Shamel Hughes. I also learnt how to work with people with many different dialects.” He also added, “Caribbean music is one of the most influential around the world and it is the most underappreciated.”

Expert producer Krishna ‘Dada’ Lawrence whose portfolio includes the 2019 road march hit, ‘Famalay’ which feature soca sensations Machel Montano, Skinny Fabulous and Bungi Garlin worked directly with participants to produce a cadre of songs and had nothing but praise for the workshop’s organisers. “I think it’s important that we continue those training camps. Collaboration within the islands is paramount to the development of the Caribbean music industry. We are all unique; sharing and working with each other is the best way to sell and promote our uniqueness,” he said, adding that attention also needed to be given to legalities, ownership, copyright and the fundamentals of running a company.

The 23 tracks were produced with videos and aired virtually in a live music showcase in December 2020 to major record labels, promoters, music scouts, distributors from the US, Europe and Asia. “We are targeting buyers from Europe, North American, Africa and the hip hop industry. Trying to maximize the returns on these intellectual properties is our first step, then we will come back and look at developing artists from the camp, assigning them songs and building their careers. Everyone stands to benefit, artists, producers, song writers, as all rights have been assigned to them.”

The response to the showcase was extremely positive, with requests for follow-up meetings and negotiations with international music distributors. As we approach the 2nd year of the pandemic, we look ahead to continued collaboration and support making a business out of music.

The Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM’s) outlook for 2021 could be a very short article; summary – not so good. The year 2021 is starting with general uncertainty about the trade and economic outlook. Much will depend on how countries are able to contain COVID-19 and the availability of vaccines to most countries enabling them to return to a fair level of normality. Reports indicate that tourism will be slow to recover as will global oil demand. In addition, St Vincent and the Grenadines is on La Soufriere volcano watch and political unrest continues in Haiti.

The year 2020 began with some expectation for recovery and growth. By March, with the spread of COVID-19, travel restrictions and the lockdown of economies, years of progress were reversed, especially in the Caribbean, where several countries have 20 per cent or more of their gross domestic product (GDP) coming from tourism. From September to October, there was inclement weather in some islands resulting in damage to agriculture and infrastructure. With the exception of Guyana, which registered growth of about 31 per cent due to oil production, most CARICOM member states saw a severe decline in their GDP.

CARICOM’s external trade with third countries and intra-regional trade for 2020 are difficult to assess, at this point, as statistics for all the member states are not yet available. However, for principal trade partner, the USA, in 2019, CARICOM imported goods valued at US$14.04 billion and exported US$6.23 billion. Figures from the US Census Bureau for January to November 2020 show that CARICOM goods imports were valued at US$10 billion, while exports were valued at US$4.41 billion. With the December figures added, the value of the CARICOM-US merchandise trade could see a decline. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica’s Merchandise Trade Bulletin shows that Jamaica’s trade for January to August 2020 registered an overall decline and the trend is expected to continue to December.

In trade in services, tourism mainly, available figures for The Bahamas, from January to August 2020 show that tourist arrivals were about 35 per cent of the 2019 figure. For Jamaica, from January to October 2020, arrivals were 34 per cent of the 2019 figure. This was the general trend for CARICOM countries dependent on tourism. For those countries with petroleum as a principal industry, there was also a decline, as demand was reduced due to restrictions in travel and production.

For 2020, CARICOM countries were focused on containing the spread of COVID-19, trying to rescue economies, deliberating on building back better and the role which the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) would play.

DIM OUTLOOK FOR 2021

By October 2020, international organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), were forecasting the outlook for 2021. In the IMF Blog, the forecast was for a recovery of four per cent for the Caribbean countries dependent on tourism from a decline of nearly 10 per cent in 2020 and 3.8 per cent for the commodity exporters from a decline of 0.6 per cent.

Although there was optimism about vaccines at the end of 2020, the reality check is that 2021 has not had such a great start. COVID-19 cases are increasing in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom (UK), European Union (EU) member states, China, India, Africa, and in Latin America and the Caribbean with new strains. In fact, Latin America and the Caribbean is listed as one of the worst affected regions. There are further restrictions in some countries. Canada and the UK are now requiring persons entering their countries to have a negative COVID-19 test. This places an added burden on Caribbean countries which must now provide these tests on a larger scale.

Vaccines have been approved and are being used in the USA, Canada, UK, EU, and Australia. Japan is seeking approval of the Pfizer vaccine by February. China, Cuba, India and Russia have developed and are using their own vaccines. Interestingly, New Zealand has declared that it is COVID free.

CARICOM and other developing countries have signed to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) COVID-19 Global Access Facility (COVAX) for access to vaccines. Under COVAX, it seems that two billion doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been secured already for global distribution in 2021, with another 1.3 billion to come in 2022. The first doses will target 20 per cent of beneficiary countries. The director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional arm of WHO, Dr Carissa Etienne, has announced that vaccines’ distribution will commence in the Americas in March. It should reach CARICOM countries by April. From media reports, however, it seems that a very small amount of a COVID vaccine was available in Barbados recently.

GLOBAL INEQUALITIES

As with many things, the inequalities in the global community are being starkly demonstrated in the availability of vaccines. The developed countries will be the first to have access to these vaccines, and the developing countries will be on the bottom rungs of the ladder. For successful global recovery, all countries need to recover, not only a few.

This article which was originally published by the Jamaica Gleaner was submitted by Elizabeth Morgan, Specialist in International Trade Policy and International Politics.

The general food retail market in Germany has two severe disadvantages for Caribbean exporters: the quantities needed are far beyond the capacities of Caribbean companies and the prices are far below levels which would suffice. Therefore the only opportunities in the German food market are niche markets. The three fastest growing niche markets are products from organic agriculture, fair trade labelled products and vegetarian food.

The agro-processing sector has played a critical role in the diversification of the Caribbean’s agriculture sector, with the process of making jams, jellies, fruit nectars and other beverages well established within the region. There is an estimated number of over 300 agro-processors in the CARIFORUM region who are mainly located in Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica and Suriname and to a lesser extent in Barbados, Belize and Saint Lucia.

Both the capacity as well as the opportunity may be available to build upon the existing and growing trade relationships between the European Union and CARIFORUM states. This may be explored by further export activity of CARIFORUM agriculture and agro-processing products particularly into the German market.

When seeking to enter the German market, potential exporters should note that buyers generally expect high quality products at low prices. However, Caribbean exporters face several challenges, sharing many features of other small states’ size-related macroeconomic vulnerabilities, such as lack of economies of scale, capacity constraints, export diversification and exposure to natural disasters.

Caribbean countries’ smallness constrains the achievement of economies of scale and economic specialization. States also face rising losses caused by natural disasters from 0.9% of annual GDP in the 1980s and 1990s to 1.3 % of GDP in the 2000s. Overall, the region has demonstrated declining export competitiveness over the years (IMF, 2013). In light of the above, competition based upon price would be difficult for Caribbean firms particularly wanting to enter the lowpriced German food market. Therefore it is important to have a unique product which may justify higher pricing, with a special story that could be sold along with the product as part of its marketing and branding appeal e.g. “Organic Caribbean.’’

All three identified export categories of organic, vegetarian and fair trade have specialized traders who supply local shops and retailers. Caribbean exporters who are interested in supplying the German market should seek to collaborate with such traders in order to successfully enter the market. Such market research is critical in order to determine which product segment of the market you wish to supply and hence which type of specialized traders may prove to be the most suitable business partners for exporting into Germany or the EU.

Organic Market Trends

Globally 37 million hectares (ha) of the production surface area are allocated towards organic food. In 2010, the European market for organic food was valued at €20 billion with major markets such as France and Italy valued at €3.4 and 1.6 billion respectively during 2012. For Germany alone during the 2011 to 2012 period, the value of this sector increased from €6.64 billion to 7 billion with the share of organic farms in Germany during 2012 accounting for 8 % of total farms and 6.3% of production surface.
Demand for organic food within European markets may be exhibited by the per capita expenditure trends for such products. For example during 2011 (as seen below) up to 177 euro per capita was spent that year. The quite low value for Germany is due to low food prices even for organic food, a market characteristic which is important to note for prospective exporters.

Table 1: 2011 Expenditure on Organic Food for Select European Markets

German Organic Market Opportunities

Total German organic food imports ranged between 5% and 20% of total turnover, depending on the product group. In 2012, Germany’s production surface area for the organic food sector; of 1.043 million ha or 2.577 million acres (ac), was observed to be growing slower than organic food turnover, demonstrating a growing trend of import activity to satisfy local demand. During the 2009 to 2012 timeline, the percentage share of organic food in total food expenditure by German final consumers amounted to 6194.4 billion euro. This value represented an average of around 3.6% of total food expenditure increasing steadily each year by approximately 0.2%. Aside from bananas, organic products from Latin America into Europe included items such as sunflower kernels, soy beans, flax seeds, onions, apples (20% of apple imports are from Latin America). These products are certified by recognized control bodies according to the European regulations.

Relevant EU Importing Requirements/Regulations

The EC Regulation (EC) No. 1235/2008 (which was amended in 2012 by EC Regulation (EC) No. 508/2012) identifies the list of control bodies and authorities considered competent to carry out controls and issue certificates for “third country’’ exporters such as from the Caribbean for the purpose of equivalence. As it relates to organic products, all control bodies recognized by the EU Commission to conduct such product certification, may be found listed within Annex IV of the EC Regulation (EC) No. 1235/2008 which contains the detailed rules relating to the arrangements for the imports into the EU. Further details on this regulation as well as contact information of certifying bodies may be found listed under Annex IV p.3-45. According to the rules a “Certificate of Inspection” would be required for every shipment to the EU.

The EURO-Bio logo represents the very minimum level of EU standards that are acceptable for imported organic products. This label provides confidence that the goods produced are done so entirely in line with the EU organic farming regulations and according at least to a minimum level of EU standards.

As such it is important to note that most producers opt to be certified beyond the minimum legal standards of the EURO-Bio logo for organic products. Consequently, only between 40% and 45% share of organic products are certified under the minimum legal requirements of the EURO-Bio labelling system. Nevertheless it may be quite feasible, as well as cost effective for Caribbean companies seeking to enter this market to first pursue certification under the minimum standards of the EURO-Bio labelling system.

Vegetarian Products

Graphically depicted below is the growth in the turnover of vegetarian semi-prepared food within the German retail market. While the category of vegetarian products is difficult to define (e.g. egg and milk products are accepted by some of the vegetarian consumers, in some cases even fish), the diagram below shows that this segment is characterized by steady growth of products which replace meat products such as sausages or burgers.

Table 2: Total turnover of vegetarian semi-finished food in the German retail market (EUR, thousands)

Caribbean exporters interested in tapping into supplying this market need only to satisfy sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) measures for this type of product. The sector is not a protected one in Germany; therefore Caribbean exporters may sell their products at the higher price point associated with vegetarian labelled goods such as ready-made (pre-cooked) convenience meals without animal by-products. An attractive approach to entering this market would be to deliver specifically to companies which currently supply vegetarian buyers. Interested exporters should research the current trademarks associated with these types of products and find a suitable business EU partner for market entry. The advantage of seeking to enter this market is that exporters may benefit from a higher price point for their goods while only having to satisfy German/EU SPS measures for vegetarian fresh and processed foods.

Fair Trade

Fair trade is an alternative approach to conventional trade based on a partnership between producers and traders, businesses and consumers and complying with some minimum social standards. The Fairtrade Labelling Organisation coordinates fair trade labelling at an international level from their office in Bonn, Germany. They set international fair trade standards, organize support for producers around the world, develop a global fair trade strategy and promote trade justice internationally. The organization also helps producers to gain fair trade certification and develop market opportunities. They do this through locally- based liaison officers which provide training, guidance on certification and facilitate relationships with buyers.

Liaison officers additionally provide advisory services to farmers and workers, as well as training and information to help them comply with the fair trade standards, strengthen business capacities, and deepen fair trade impact. There is a growing trend of EU imported products being labelled under both fair trade and organic food regulations, as observed below. This reflects the more recent understanding of sustainability as linking social, ecologic, economic and cultural elements. The largest seller of fair trade products in Germany is GEPA, a fair trade non-profit organisation, which holds 19 % market share.

Table 3: 2012 Total Fair Trade Products Turnover and Percentage Share of Organic Products

Becoming Export Ready for Europe

Several opportunities have been identified for entry into the German market for organic, vegetarian and fair trade products. Based upon this, the next step for Caribbean producers and exporters would be to determine how to get their products ready to enter the EU market. Within the Caribbean region several business and export development services are available, such as:

1. The Productivity Network (ProNET) A business and export development programme available within the CARIFORUM region. For further information about the programme please contact the Caribbean Export Development Agency.
2. The Services of the Europe-AfricaCaribbean-Pacific Liaison Committee Pesticide Initiative Programme (COLE ACP PIP). The organization has developed several Crop Protocol and Good Practice Guides which are compliant with EU regulations including pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs). Such regulation guides have been developed for products such as avocado, mango, dasheen, coconut, cassava, and potatoes among others.
   The German organic, vegetarian and fair trade food markets present varying export opportunities for export-oriented Caribbean firms. In order to leverage these growing trends by EU and German buyers, Caribbean products must first meet the expectations and legal standards which regulate the EU market. Crucial services are available to assist Caribbean companies in meeting these export regulations. Once this is achieved, the Caribbean firms only need to market and brand a product which can uniquely appeal to the German consumer.

This article written by Dr Rainer Engels was originally published in the first edition of the Caribbean Export OUTLOOK magazine.

For over three decades the name Sandals has been globally recognized as an epitome of world-class luxury and excellence. As a leader in the Caribbean ultra all-inclusive industry, the resort is well positioned to stay at the forefront of this market because of its rich history and optimistic outlook.

The mastermind behind the masterpiece is the illustrious Gordon “Butch’’ Stewart, and like his own life story, the genesis of Sandals Resorts is unprecedented.

Selling the Caribbean Dream

Stewart has successfully made his fortune selling the Caribbean dream, an art he fostered for nearly eight years including several as a salesman at the Dutch-owned Curacao Trading Company and, before that, a spell studying in England. Then in 1968, he started his first company, Appliance Traders Limited (ATL), and within less than two years became the leading distributor of air-conditioning units in Jamaica.

“We were number one within 18 months and this was just the beginning, where everything came from,” recounted Stewart.

The air-conditioner service and distribution company quickly mushroomed, adding refrigerators, freezers and other appliances. Today, the company produces and trades everything from automobile parts to water pumps.

In 1981, ATL provided the capital required to acquire and renovate a rundown hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Seven months and US $4 million in renovations later, the country’s first Sandals Resort opened.

Success, however, was not automatic. Most of the major tour operators already had exclusive deals with some of his competitors, and because of the resort’s close proximity to the airport (Sangster International), guests complained about the noise. Further, the business was too small to break even.

“We had a lot of enthusiasm, but we didn’t know what we were doing. We lost a lot of money for a couple of years, and if you lose money in the hotel business you lose a lot of money.”

Sandals eventually gained traction in the 1980s consumer boom.

“It was the era of President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher and I rode the wave.”

Even with the economic malaise afflicting consumers and the competition, there was solace at the heart of Sandals Resorts.

“In a crisis, the inexpensive stuff sells. The middle stuff is under pressure. But the top market does business.”

Early Expansion

A decade after transforming the sublime shoreline of the Jamaica north coast with five Sandals Resorts, Stewart expanded his brand to Antigua and Barbuda.

“Antigua was really the only island aside from Jamaica with which I had any experience. I used to visit for a couple of days at a time to unwind and I loved it. The Anchorage Hotel with its 99 rooms was for sale so we bought it, added another 50 rooms, and the rest is history.”

Following Antigua, the all-inclusive brand has opened in Saint Lucia, Bahamas, Barbados, and Grenada.

“There are certain things we look for when expanding such as the overall quality of the country and its beaches. Does it have a stable, democratic government? Does it have a low crime rate? There is a multitude of different aspects that need to align. Plus of course there’s the human factor too. I’m a very emotional person and if I’m not personally in love with the place, I find it difficult to sell out in the marketplace. I love every country we operate in.”

Conquering Challenges

The astute entrepreneur believes that in business, there will always be mistakes. A sense of accomplishment comes, however, in conquering these challenges.

“There are mistakes. When you go into business, from my experience, it’s never quite what you think it is. There are always surprises. It’s the cost of experience, the cost of learning, the cost of growth.”

Exceeding Expectations

From inception, Sandals Resorts has earned just about every award and accolade in the industry. And with the likes of competitors such as Club Méditerranée (Club Med) and the Hilton Hotels, this continues to be a tremendous feat.

“The competitive advantage of Sandals is the uniqueness of the brand. What differentiates us from another all-inclusive is the influence of luxury in every aspect of the resort experience, hence the introduction of the Luxury Included® concept in 2007. At its core, this concept was introduced as a commitment to exceed expectations with real and tangible points of distinction that customers could experience and that our partners could articulate and market with confidence.”

The family-owned company transformed itself from a single resort in Jamaica to one of the most recognized award-winning hospitality brands in the world. With over 12,000 employees and two new hotels in Barbados and Grenada, Sandals Resorts are but jewels in the crown of the “King of All-Inclusive Resorts.’’

In the beginning, Stewart had no hotel experience, but he approached business with a simple philosophy: “The winning formula is to find out what people want, give it to them and, in doing so, exceed their expectations.”

Today, under the Sandals Resorts International umbrella, Stewart has established 24 properties in seven countries. In addition to Sandals Resorts, the four other premium brands include Beaches Resorts, Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, Fowl Cay Resort and The Private Villas Collection.
“What would I tell someone who is looking to expand? Give it your all. Find your market, pick your staff well and give good direction. Pick your country wisely because some welcome you with open arms, while others see you as an intruder.”

Corporate Social Responsibility

As a result of his entrepreneurial exploits, Stewart has successfully spearheaded over two dozen companies that are collectively Jamaica’s largest private sector group, and the country’s biggest foreign exchange earner. Similar patterns of growth are also evident in the economic impact of his business throughout the region.

Through the philanthropic arm, The Sandals Foundation, the company provides active support to more than 150 major projects in its host communities. This support ranges from the building of schools to providing access to healthcare.

“The Sandals Foundation represents a way for Sandals and Beaches to give back to our community through initiatives that support, uplift and improve the lives of the Caribbean people. It is our way of better enabling us to take on more of what needs to be done in the islands where we operate.”

Stewart’s philosophies about life are reflected not only in his company’s approach to corporate social responsibility, but also in the way he conducts business, an underpinning that augurs well for any venture.

This article was written by Stephanie Bishop and originally published in the first edition of the Caribbean Export OUTLOOK magazine.

Indeed, 2020 was quite a year, but not for the reasons I assumed when writing in January of that year.

As we enter 2021 and begin to reflect on the upcoming foreign trade policy agenda, 2020 has made it clear that there is need to be flexible, adaptable and prepared for any eventuality. COVID-19 certainly rewrote, reordered and reprioritised the 2020 agenda. It also further accelerated changes to the conduct/practice of diplomacy.

CHANGES IN DIPLOMATIC PRACTICE

When I outlined the agenda for 2020 last year, the idea was that the members of our delegations would be flying to meetings wherever in the world they were scheduled to be held. With COVID, meetings had to be postponed or rescheduled, and the use of technology gained primacy.

In the Caribbean, with the acquisition of videoconferencing equipment and improving Internet service, more virtual meetings were being held. With COVID restrictions on travelling, borders closed, and remote working, it was recognised quickly that for work to continue, technology had to be better employed. Means had to be found to have global meetings virtually across time zones.

Now senior officials are meeting virtually to prepare for virtual ministerial and summit meetings held across six continents. For CARICOM countries, this could be a more practical way of engaging which allows for wider participation of stakeholders. Webinars are also enabling more voices in civil society to be engaged in the deliberations on various issues of regional interest. There is now need to further prioritise implementing the regional Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strategy.

The speed of communications is also greatly advanced with not only email and text messaging, but with WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram. Diplomats of the 1960s into the 1980s, using post, savingrams, cables, telex, and fixed-line telephones would be alarmed at today’s speed of communications and the degree of informality.

Virtual meetings, however, will never replace face-to-face engagements and the usefulness and spontaneity of in-person consultations/negotiations.

The new working methods also have their negative side, with Zoom fatigue and the stress caused by the expectation of instant response/action and the requirement to be abreast of breaking news in the 24-hour cycle. The security of electronic communications is also a major issue.

So, with herd immunity from COVID-19 vaccinations still some time away, the foreign trade agenda will be executed under these new working practices and procedures into this year.

THE 2021 AGENDA

The Hon Keith Rowley, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has assumed the chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the next six months. In his address to the region on assuming the chair, Prime Minister Rowley called for the focus this year to be on making CARICOM work, pointing out that the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) could be the primary means of the region’s recovery.

Recovery from COVID-19 will continue to be the priority. The Intersessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government will be held in February as customary. Suriname will remain the chair of the Caribbean OACPS Forum (CARIFORUM) until June.

Along with the CARICOM schedule, the foreign trade policy agenda for this year should include the following:

1. United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – the 15th session should be held in Barbados, October 3-8.
2. World Trade Organization (WTO) – the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) should be held in Kazakhstan before the end of the year. The new director general still has to be appointed.
3. UK-Caribbean Forum – to be held possibly in the first quarter of 2021. Trade began to be conducted under the CARIFORUM/UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on January 1.
4. OACPS-EU Joint Council Meeting – the signing ceremony for the new post-Cotonou Agreement should be held in Samoa before the end of the year.
5. OACPS – continuing implementation of the revised Georgetown Agreement.
6. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – to be held in Rwanda in June.
7. UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) – November 1-12, Glasgow, Scotland.
8. UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) – May 17-30, Kumming, China.
9. UN General Assembly – September, New York, as customary.

I note that for India, the CARICOM representation in New Delhi will be increased as Jamaica joins Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana in having resident representation. I am assuming that it is still on the cards for CARICOM to open an office in Nairobi, Kenya. The CARICOM-Africa Summit should still be on the agenda to be held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Heads meeting.

Regarding US-CARICOM relations, I hope that CARICOM will be taking up my suggestion to have a formal regional review of its US policy in preparation for engagement with the incoming Biden-Harris administration. CARICOM also needs to examine its relationship with Canada and with Latin America and the Caribbean.

I still hold to the view that CARICOM, at the level of its Council for Trade and Development (COTED) and heads, should be reviewing the region’s foreign trade strategy as it considers the agenda for 2021 and its future foreign trade relations. Focus on CSME implementation but foreign trade remains critical to growth and development.

So, let’s see what 2021 has to offer.

This article which was originally published by the Jamaica Gleaner was submitted by Elizabeth Morgan, Specialist in International Trade Policy and International Politics.

Last week, I listened to an interview with the British High Commissioner to Jamaica H.E. Asif Ahmad. He was talking about the potential for increasing trade between Jamaica and the United Kingdom (UK) in goods and services. Of course, on January 1, 2021, whether or not the UK has concluded a trade agreement with the European Union (EU), the transition period will be over and the UK fully exits the EU. This means that the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM)-UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the trade agreement, will take effect.

In my article of June 24, I wrote about the Caribbean’s Trade with Europe (UK and EU) moving into a new era. That era begins come January. In this article, I highlighted the decline in trade between the UK and the Caribbean with the main traders now being the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean had moved from having a trade surplus to a deficit. Of course, with the 2020 COVID-19 impact, the deficit is expected to be even larger, not only in goods but also in services, primarily tourism-based.

I agree with High Commissioner Ahmad that Jamaica and, indeed, the rest of the Caribbean, need to be looking at how to increase exports to the UK making the best use of the trade agreement. The UK, given its current situation, is also interested in strengthening trade relations, although there seems to be a view that the UK economy is mainly driven by domestic and regional trade. Hence, having a free trade agreement with the EU should be critical.

SPECIAL CARIBBEAN TRADE ENVOY

Emphasising the need to strengthen external trade, in October, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the appointment of Member of Parliament Darren Henry as trade envoy to the Commonwealth Caribbean. I am not clear whether this nomenclature actually means CARIFORUM, including the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Suriname, or just the English-speaking Caribbean. Mr Henry’s mission, I assume, will be to promote trade between the Caribbean and the UK working with the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department of International Trade.

It seems building climate resilience will be a priority for Mr Henry with the 26th UN Climate Conference scheduled to be held in Scotland in November 2021. Addressing the virtual 12th Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, October 28-30, Mr Henry said that the Department of International Trade will continue to work with the Caribbean states and the private sector to promote opportunities arising from and supporting climate adaptation. He noted that partnerships between the UK, multilateral bodies and the Caribbean countries already have had a direct impact on climate resilience in the region.

Hopefully, Mr Henry will also be focusing on stimulating trade flows. I gather the UK is interested in doing business with the Caribbean as a region.

DEMAND FOR CARIBBEAN GOODS IN UK

From my reading, it appears that a new generation of chefs with Caribbean heritage are making Caribbean cuisine more mainstream in the UK and there is increased demand for Caribbean foods. The UK Caribbean food market is apparently now worth about £100 million. Caribbean foods, sauces, condiments, roots and tubers, teas, gluten-free flours are cited as an emerging trend by some of the major food chains. The question is how do Caribbean countries access this market and ensure that they benefit from this trend? This is the role of regional trade promotion agency, Caribbean Export, working in collaboration with national trade promotion agencies, such as Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), and the private sector.

I note there is also a demand for cosmetics, hair and skincare products.

The Caribbean countries must be able to produce high-quality products which meet required standards at competitive prices. They must be reliable suppliers of quantities demanded. The importance of intellectual property rights must also be recognised.

Many of the food items and other products from the Caribbean can be produced in larger tropical countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Note that the largest supplier of avocados to Britain has been Israel. Is this the time for Caribbean countries to consider collaborating to service the export market?

INTEREST IN THE OIL INDUSTRY

It seems the UK, through Scotland, also has interest in the oil industry in Guyana. Georgetown, Guyana, recently twinned with Aberdeen, Scotland, to strengthen relations. Aberdeen is the centre of oil production in the UK.

TRADE IN SERVICES

A recent positive development in trade in services has been the opening of Jamaica National’s full service bank in London in October.

High Commissioner Ahmad, in his interview, indicated that there was further potential for trade in cultural services, for musician, hairdressers, and cosmologists. I do not recall, however, that he mentioned the need for entry visas. Nationals of the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and Suriname require visas to enter the UK. Jamaica is the only Caribbean country which requires entry and transit visas. Also, it is necessary to be familiar with the needs requirements of the services schedules in the CARIFORUM-UK EPA.

UK’S AID FOR TRADE

Development aid from the UK, in the past, was provided bilaterally and through the EU. Now aid will be bilateral only. When the British Government announced the merging of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with the Department for International Development in 2019, High Commissioner Ahmad did not think this would impact aid to the Caribbean. The merger occurred in September 2020.

Now it is reported that the UK has reduced its development assistance from 0.7 per cent of gross national income to 0.5 per cent. This reduction announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) Rishi Sunak in November led to the resignation of Baroness Liz Sugg, Minister of Overseas Territories and Sustainable Development, in protest. She felt that it was fundamentally wrong to abandon the UK’s set commitment to development support. Whether this will affect the Caribbean is to be seen.

The UK did announce in June a trade partnership programme for the Caribbean to be delivered through the International Trade Centre and Caribbean-Export. They also provided £5 million to help the Caribbean with the impact of COVID-19.

CARIBBEAN-UK FORUM

The UK-Caribbean Forum, which should meet biennially, has not met since 2016, you might recall. This forum, which should deliberate on the UK-Caribbean relationship post-Brexit, keeps being postponed. I gather it is now scheduled for early 2021. As you can see, there is a packed agenda. COVID permitting.

Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

This article which was originally published by the Jamaica Gleaner was submitted by Elizabeth Morgan, Specialist in International Trade Policy and International Politics.

The year 2020 can certainly be described as a year of ambiguity and change. Caribbean Export shared a wealth of content and resources to support firms severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic via our Talking Exports webinar series and our blog. As we approach the end of 2020, we thought we’d revisit some of the most popular blog posts many of which addressed how firms pivoted, adapted and grew during these challenging times.

In case you missed any of them, the top five posts on our blog this year were:

1. Covid-19 Reinforces the Need for Business Owners to Diversify

Jacqueline Cort-Thomas owner of the Villas at Sunset Lane, a 10-room boutique hotel in Antigua, shared how the pandemic drove her to pivot and explore opportunities in the manufacturing sector.

2. Chem Clean Tackles Safety & Increases Exports During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a 10-15% increase in exports for Trinidadian manufacturer Chem Clean. The company, a recipient of a Direct Assistance Grant in 2013, used it to support upgrades to its plant and boost capacity and Ms. Zamore acknowledged that the strategic decision taken to upgrade the facility and boost production capacity was still bearing fruit today.

3. What You Need To Know About Rum

For those who need to brush up on their rum knowledge here’s a list of eight (8) fun things, you need to know about rum.

4. Uncovering Opportunities Created by a Pandemic

Several Caribbean firms repositioned themselves to access opportunities which arose because of the change in consumer behaviours and needs due to the pandemic. Here are various strategies your company can use to identify your opportunity.

5. Koru Green taking Freetown Collective Music to the World

Led by managing director Keron Niles, Koru Green Ltd has established itself apart from other talent companies by developing a unique service within the creative sector, primarily focused on transforming cultural goods and services into sustainable livelihoods.

View more posts from the Caribbean Export Blog

A sure fire way to distinguish between locals and foreigners at a Caribbean dinner table is to listen out for the request for pepper sauce, a hot and tangy flavouring that is typically made of the indigenous Scotch Bonnet, otherwise known as Scotty Bon, Scotchy, Bonney Pepper or scientifically, Capsicum Chinense.

The Scotch Bonnet is the main commercial variety of pepper in the region, having achieved this status through a process of repeated selection based on aroma, pungency, flavour, yield, and disease and pest tolerance.

Originally cultivated by the Taino Indians, the distinctly Caribbean flavour of the fiery hot condiment is used to make a variety of value added products such as hot pepper sauce, jerk seasoning, pepper mash, dried pepper, scotch bonnet chocolate truffles, pepper powder, hot ketchup, pepper infused peanut butter, pepper jams and jellies, salsas and pickles.

With a heat rating of 100,000-350,000 scoville units, the scotch bonnet can be up to 40 times hotter than a typical jalapeño pepper.

High levels of capsaicin, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, most B vitamins (particularly vitamin B6), iron, copper, magnesium and potassium provide a number of benefits including heart health, weight loss, and congestion relief.

Scotch Bonnet Peppers are the back roads that lead to the same destination, says Chef Peter Ivey of The Reggae Chefs, of the tear-inducing Caribbean flavour. They are the roads that your parents told you not to walk down alone at night until you were all grown up.

The Scotch Bonnet pepper can be dangerously deceptive, as its distinct aroma can lull you into lowering your guard, Ivey continues. Its prowess in deception lies in its ability to either tinge your tongue with sweetness or take traditional Caribbean flavours to heights matched only by the peaks in cock pit country, Jamaica where they are abundantly grown.

Traditional curry goat and thick Caribbean soups are elevated with the Scotchie’s presence, and rice and peas is just rice and some peas without the tail of a scotch bonnet pepper peeking out from under a few rice grains. Escoveitch fish would be relegated to simply fried fish without the Scotch Bonnet’s tangy flavour and no self-respecting Caribbean person wants a jerk sauce made without a bright yellow, orange or red Scotch Bonnet flag, indicating that appropriate caution must be taken.

It is no wonder that Scotch Bonnet has become one of the biggest trends in international food, claiming the hot spot of the first trend listed by The Happy Foodie in its 10 food trends to look out for in 2020, a mention on the list of Uren Food Ingredients 2021 Global Food Trends and a hyper-regional food trend on New Zealand’s Par Avion Top 25 Food Trends for 2020.

Jamaica is the biggest player in the regional market, with top agro-processors including Grace, Walkerswood, Spur Tree Spices and Jamaica’s leading pepper sauce producer, Gray’s Pepper Products Limited, with approximately 60 per cent of its products destined for the export market.

Popular brands in the region include Gray’s hot sauce out of Jamaica, Baron’s Blazing hot sauce which is manufactured in St. Lucia and Grenada, Matouk’s hot pepper sauce of Trinidad & Tobago, Windmill Products Hot Pepper Sauce from Barbados and FIYAH sauces by Tomfoodery Kitchen & Bar in the Cayman Islands.

Scotch Bonnet is in such high demand by both the Caribbean domestic and export markets that, at a 2018 meeting of the Jamaica Agro processors Association (JAPA), members complained of a lack of the famous pepper as a raw material for sauces. The supply at the time could only meet about 55 per cent of the demand for sauce production.

Jamaican export sales of the incendiary condiment are reflective of the growing demand. Exports of hot pepper sauce totalled $4,453,019 in 2019. Between 2013 and 2017, the export of fresh hot peppers increased by 713 per cent and 302 per cent for semi-value added. (JAMPRO)

Of all the value added products created from the pungent pepper, none are more popular than traditional Caribbean sauces and condiments, including the famous hot sauce or as it is known in the region, pepper sauce.

According to regional trade and investment promotion agency, Caribbean Export, the market for Caribbean sauces and condiments is worth $1.49 billion, having grown in value by 16.8 percent between 2019 and 2020.

Globally, the hot sauce market is projected to reach $ 5.9 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.2 per cent (2020-2025). (Imarc group)

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), a promotional agency for export and investment in Jamaica’s local and international private sector, is currently in dialogue with investors who are interested in growing the hot peppers on a large-scale on-island. It is also working with other government agencies through a Pepper Value Chain Task Force (managed by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica) to identify goods made from the Scotch Bonnet pepper and a strategy to facilitate the production of these goods.

With more investments into the sector, Jamaica will be able to meet the large demand that exists for the peppers in their natural state, as well as pepper mash which can be used to make sauces, seasonings and other products, says Diane Edwards, President of JAMPRO.

The next step for Jamaica is to create more value-added products from Scotch Bonnet peppers. This will not only have a positive impact on the economy by increasing export sales and creating jobs, but it will also diversify our exports in the agribusiness sector.

This article which was originally published by Forbes was submitted by Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes Senior Contributor, Food & Drink.