President of the Caribbean Manufacturers Association (CMA), John Robin, is urging increased intra-regional trade to combat the global environment which is affecting the regional manufacturing sector.
“As it is right now in the Caribbean what we are seeking to do is to very significantly is to promote OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) and intra-CARICOM trade,
“So more trading, more selling of our goods into our islands than into North America and Europe where the conditions are more stringent and where we can learn in our local jurisdiction, and after we have learned, we can put in place resources then we can move into the more complex economies.”
Robin, who is also president of the Dominica Manufacturers Association, said “what we are also saying is that there are major challenges as it relates to supply chain logistics.
“A lot of the shipping has become very expensive, and the cost has gone right up…. every time you import an item, it is much more expensive so as a result, you have to adjust your costs (and) critically it is affecting the final consumer …who always get the bigger end of the stick.
“But all in all, what we are trying to do is to try our best to work together, not as Dominica, but as OECS and as CARICOM so we can bring a harmonized approach in terms of our procurements and how do we buy in bulk,” Robin added.
CMC/
