Caribbean market seeks to strengthen trade links by eliminating non-tariff barriers
of the intraregional market
San José, 23 October 2018 (IICA). Agriculture Ministers in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), producers and representatives from CARICOM, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), and other international entities, met in Barbados to discuss findings and recommendations from a study on non-tariff barriers (NTB) in agrifood trade between the countries of the Caribbean region.
Non-tariff barriers are defined as a series of trade measures, other than customs tariffs, which are used to protect local producers in each country, by restricting the access of imported products to local markets.
During the meeting, which was held under the aegis of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu, the participants agreed that measures to modernize the legal framework; clearer phytosanitary regulations; political will; and most importantly, greater dialogue between nations are urgently needed, if trade between these countries is to be revitalized.
According to the study on non-tariff barriers, although Caribbean countries have historically maintained trade ties, intraregional trade only accounts for 16.6% of total food imports. Trinidad and Tobago is the largest exporter, followed by St. Vincent and the Grenadines, whereas the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Guyana are the largest importers of food produced in the region.
During the event, IICA’s Director General, Manuel Otero, acknowledged the low level of intraregional food trade and insisted that, “This should be increased considerably by providing production chains with incentives, thereby resulting in new trade opportunities and better inputs”.
Otero also reiterated the Institute’s commitment to regional efforts to achieve greater harmonization of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, focusing primarily on the development of the Caribbean food market. He also pledged IICA’s commitment to providing technical cooperation to reduce the unsustainable and rising four billion dollar food bill for imports from outside of the region, assisting in regional exchange, economic development and health-related matters.
Indeed, there has been a reduction of non-tariff barriers in the Caribbean and most of them are based on outdated regulations, such as those that are linked to technical barriers to trade and to sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
During the meeting, the participants called on the public sector, which is in charge of regulation, and the private sector, which produces and trades, to focus on coordinating efforts to strengthen and streamline trade processes and procedures; modernize regulations and legislation; facilitate conflict resolution; and to foster transparency and confidence in the CARICOM market.
Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry and Fisheries of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Chair of the Alliance Meeting, remarked that, “These problems have continued for too long and it is time to take action”. In so doing, he urged his CARICOM counterparts to make a real commitment to addressing the recommendations of the study and implementing them through coordinated action among countries.
More information:
Diana Francis, International Specialist Policy and Regional Programming, IICA Delegation in Trinidad and Tobago
Allister Glean, International Specialist in Agribusiness Development, IICA Delegation in St. Lucia