“Jamaica Trade Desk News” Contact us at (868) 675-8862 Ext. 242 Email: tradeassist@ttma.com

I S S U E 1 - O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 M O N T H L Y P U B L I C A T I O N

HIG HL IG HT ON

TRADE DESK :

Focus on Trade Desk

activities

Trade Desk Officer

Visit to Jamaica

Advocating for the

improvement of the

CFDD

I NSI D E TH I S

I SSU E :

TTMA Events

Forum on Competi-

tiveness 3

Seminar on financ-

ing opportunities for SME development

4

Jamaica Updates

JMA 44th Annual

Awards Banquet 5

6th International

Food Safety Confer-ence

6

Focus on Jamaica

Manufacturer of the year 2011: Wisynco

7

Kingston sales blitz

in Trinidad

7

CARICOM Corner

« One from ten revi-

sited »

8

Message from

TTMA

8

Trade Facilitation Desk: building a new trade bridge

between T&T and Jamaica...

Since May 1st, 2012, a Trade Facilitation Desk has

been operational, based at the Trinidad and To-

bago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA). The

objective of this initiative is to approach pragmati-

cally the trade issues plaguing the relationship be-

tween T&T and Jamaica, through the offering of

support services to aggrieved parties, and finding solutions at the ground level. The Trade Desk was

also established to tackle existing and apparent non-

tariff barriers to trade, in order to improve market

access, and promote a free and fair trading environ-

ment in T&T for Jamaican exporters, among other

countries.

Its creation was driven by the foresight of the Ber-

mudez Group Ltd (BGL), which has also been piv-

otal in providing the financial support for the pro-

ject for the initial period of a year. This venture is

a joint partnership between BGL, TTMA, the

Trinidad & Tobago Chamber of Industry & Com-

merce, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, and

all signatories to the MOU governing its operation.

Subsequently, the Trade Desk has received techni-cal support from the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Asso-

ciation and the Jamaica Exporters’ Association, and

strong encouragements from the American Chamber

of Commerce of Jamaica, the Jamaica Promotions

Corporations, the Ministry of Industry, Investment

and Commerce, as well as the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs and Foreign Trade of

Jamaica.

Despite receiving govern-

ment’s endorsement, the ini-

tiative remains a solely pri-

vate sector affair that has

emerged to improve and

increase the volume of trade

in goods and services be-

tween Jamaica and T&T.

In June and September 2012,

several consultations were

undertaken in Kingston by

the Trade Desk Officer, Mrs.

Naïka Pichi-Ayers and

TTMA Director/ BGL Group

Corporate Relations Man-

ager, Mr. Paul Quesnel.

These consultations were held with current and prospective exporters of

goods and services to T&T, BSO’s and represen-

tatives of public sector institutions that play key

roles in the export process. The main goal was to

promote the Trade Facilitation Desk and give a

better understanding of its role and various mis-

sions. It was designed as a key point to facilitate

business opportunities, and ease up trade chal-

lenges, through encouraging positive and pro-

ductive dialogue among the Jamaican and T&T

business communities.

The Trade Facilitation Desk is a proactive and

practical step in the direction of assisting Jamai-

can manufacturers and exporters who wish to

access the T&T market by:

informing about import regulations and

entry requirements;

representing their interests in T&T;

facilitating networking and business match-

making with local companies;

addressing major areas of concerns to the

relevant trade and regulatory institutions.

It is clear that the level of interest showed by Ja-

maican businesses has been satisfying and augurs

well for the achievement of tangible results in the

medium term.

From left to right: Mrs. Thasya Chin-Fletcher- JCC Membership Officer, Mr. Milton Samuda-

JCC Immediate Past President & JAMPRO Chairman, Mrs. Naïka Pichi-Ayers– TTMA JA Trade

Desk Officer, Senator Anthony Hylton- Minister of Industry, Investment & Commerce and Mr.

Paul Quesnel- TTMA Director & BGL Group Corporate Relations Manager, greeted each other

at the Minister’s Offices.

Trade Desk officer visit to Kingston... From September 24th -28th, 2012, Mrs.

Pichi-Ayers and Mr. Quesnel visited sev-

eral Jamaican factories, to gain better in-

sight into the quality of processes, produc-

tion systems and capacities, as well as to engage with the management and members

of staff with a view to enhancing commu-

nication, and thereby building stronger

industry relationships.

The factory tour was a great exposure in which seven

Jamaican manufacturing companies were visited.

These visits highlighted the quality, safety and effi-

ciency of these companies’ products as their top prior-

ity, as well as, the rigorous policies that drive every

step of product design, manufacturing and marketing

across their businesses.

It was also a good opportunity to facilitate discussions with private-public sector entities, to provide a greater

understanding and appreciation for the Trade Facilita-

tion Desk, as we look forward to a multi-pronged

approach for continuous and sustainable collabora-

tion between all major players. During the various

consultations with the Ministry of Industry, Investment

and Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisher-

ies, the Jamaica Anti-Dumping and Subsidies Commis-

sion, as well as the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, it was

agreed that information sharing should be the main fo-cus, as all institutions were looking forward to strength-

ening synergies among Jamaican stakeholders to address

common issues. Stakeholders agreed that the Trade

Desk has already begun to facilitate effective communi-

cation across Jamaican public-private sectors, as well as

increasing awareness. It was also mentioned that the

initiative could be expanded to include Barbados, as

the Trade Desk Officer has been strongly involved in

two matters recently. Jamaican companies should take

the opportunity to utilize the services provided by the

Trade Desk to do more matchmaking and make a sig-

nificant change to trade.

The mission to Jamaica clearly showed the need to en-

courage networking between T&T and Jamaican institu-

tions, organizations and businesses to promote a more

positive image of trading in the Caribbean.

Advocating for the improvement of the CFDD... The Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division (CFDD)

under the Ministry of Health is primarily responsible

for the administration and the enforcement of the

Food and Drugs Act and Regulations and the Pesti-

cides and Toxic Chemicals Act and Regulations. It is

T&T’s main regulatory body that monitors all as-

pects of the importation, manufacture, storage, dis-

tribution, sale, fraud and deception in labeling and

marketing, as well as disposal of food and drugs.

Any individual, business or broker wishing to import,

manufacture or sell food or drugs in TT must have

them inspected and approved by the CFDD prior to

importation, manufacture or sale. This process was

established to ensure the quality, purity, safety and

suitability of food and drugs imported or manufac-

tured in TT.

Despite the significant role of this division, local

manufacturers, as well as businesses across the region,

particularly in Jamaica and Barbados have voiced

their displeasure through the media and to their re-

spective governmental institutions, complaining about

perceived unfair and unjustified treatments of their

goods. The lack of transparency and consistent stan-

dardization processes, as well as staff shortage, inade-

quate equipments, and unpredictable timeframes in the

CFDD’s operation, as well as its poor functioning,

have resulted in mounting frustration, lengthy and frequent delays, cost overruns, and negative fallout

from other CARICOM counterparts. In fact, several

products from the region have been deemed non-

compliant with labeling, packaging and content re-

quirements under the T&T regulations, however, they

have not encountered any difficulties to be sold across

the region, and internationally. It is clear that the CFDD

continues to acts as an impediment to trade, instead of

functioning as a facilitative and regulatory agency to the

local, regional and international manufacturers. It con-tinues to undermine the efforts of T&T businesses, who

wish to do profitable business with CARICOM Member

States.

In an effort to improve the situation, the TTMA has been

lobbying the Government over the past years, by ad-

dressing consistently all these issues, in which the pri-

vate sector is seeking an urgent need for updated TT’s

legislation, as a quick response to remove the perceived

lack of credibility and accountability of the CFDD, and

by extension of the Republic of T&T. The Jamaica-TT

Trade Facilitation Desk has also been assisting the TTMA, in advocating an improvement of the protocol

and procedures of the CFDD, in an effort to encourage

trade and promote T&T as an open, fair and free market.

The lobbying efforts undertaken with the Ministry of

Trade, Industry and Investment and other business sup-

port organizations have led to several consultations over

the past two months, to ensure efficient performance of

the regulatory agency’s functions and operations,

within the spirit of the law, with respect to the intent of

CARICOM. The Trade Desk has also recommended the creation of

an “Exporters’ manual with an emphasis on regula-

tory requirements” by the CFDD, to better facilitate

trade into T&T. This manual is presently being devel-

oped and will be shared with stakeholders before the end

of 2012.

P A G E 2

P A G E 3

“ J A M A I C A T R A D E D E S K N E W S ”

Forum on Corporate Innovation & Internationalization....

How does Public Policy promote this?

TTMA EVENTS

The theme of the Trinidad and To-

bago Budget 2012-2013 is "Stimulating Growth, Generating

Prosperity,” and several measures

were outlined aimed at addressing

some of the pressing concerns affect-

ing this country's international com-

petitiveness, including efficiency of

Government institutions and ser-

vices and labour.

Several international agencies such as

the International Monetary Fund, the

World Bank and the United Nations

Economic Commission for Latin

America and the Caribbean, have

urged Governments to focus on pro-

ductivity, innovation and reduction of

public debt, in order to stimulate

growth and improve competitive-

ness.

On Tuesday 16th October 2012, the Trinidad and To-

bago Manufacturers’ Association hosted a panel dis-

cussion on the factors affecting this country’s competi-

tiveness at the Hilton Trinidad. Panellists included the

Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development, Dr.

Bhoe Tewarie, Senator Vasant Bharath, Minister of

Trade, Industry and Investment, Senator Larry Howai,

Minister of Finance and the Economy, Mr. Chandricka

Seeterram, Chairman, Council for Competitiveness &

Innovation Mrs. Indera Sagewan-Alli, Executive Direc-

tor of the Caribbean Competitiveness Centre and Mrs. Marla Dukharan, Group Economist, RBC Financial.

In welcoming attendees, TTMA President Dominic

Hadeed stated that the forum sought to answer the

question: How can public policy be effective in

promoting innovation, competitiveness and interna-

tionalization? He noted that these matters require

long term planning, transparency, accountability

and the need to make tough and unpopular leader-

ship decisions, within a short term political cycle.

Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie noted that pro-

ductivity was at the heart of competitiveness and

creativity was at the heart of innovation. He stressed

that the business community must pay close attention

to strengthening their business environment by endeav-

ouring to implement a variety of initiatives. “Adopt

new technologies, upgrade training at all levels, im-

prove poor physical environments, develop ideal work

ethics and adapt best practise in leadership,” he ex-

plained.

From left to right: Mr. Dominic Hadeed– TTMA President, Mrs. Natasha Mustapha-Scott–

TTMA CEO, Minister of Planning & Sustainable Development, Dr. Bhoe Tewarie, Senator

Vasant Bharath, Minister of Trade, Industry & Investment, and Senator Larry Howai, Minister

of Finance & the Economy during the Competitiveness Forum..

Minister Bharath's presentation focused on establishing

an enabling business environment by removing the

impediments to trade, improving ease of doing busi-

ness, encouraging greater investment in the public and private sectors. Senator Bharath stated that “the Minis-

try of Trade, Industry and Investment has set the bold

target of placing Trinidad and Tobago in the top ten

countries in the world to do business.”

The Minister spoke at length about the close collabora-

tions among agencies to address the areas of the number

of days to register a business; the number of days to ob-

tain a construction permit; the number of days to obtain

commercial connections for water and electricity; and

making Customs and Excise an easier place to do busi-

ness.

Mr. Seeterram of the Council for Competitiveness and

Innovation stated that the top 20 exporting companies in

the country outside of the energy sector have been iden-

tified, and the Council has strategically begun to work

with each of those companies to see the extent to which

it can expand their export capability. Mrs. Sagewan-Alli

of the Caribbean Centre for Competitiveness focussed

her discussion on “Building Competitive Industries –

Moving beyond talk to implementation”. She noted that

competitiveness is key to achieving sustainable develop-

ment. She stressed the need to build a strong private

sector that is able to innovate and export aggressively

to international markets, and create sustainable em-

ployment.

For more information, kindly contact Ms. Julie Ramlal

(Manager– Marketing, Communications & Events)

marketing@ttma.com

Financing opportunities for SME development

In order to ensure that its membership is well-informed

about financing opportunities available outside of the

formal banking structure, the TTMA hosted a seminar

on 18th October, 2012 titled “Financing Opportunities

for SME Development.” Fifty companies attended this session with presentations on four very different ap-

proaches to financing.

Benefits of Going Public on the TTSE

Wain Iton, Chief Executive Officer, T&T Stock Ex-change (TTSE) presented on the local stock exchange,

specifically highlighting that the potential for SMEs to

raise capital on the stock market was a viable and real-

istic option for T&T businesses. He highlighted that a

company’s debt/equity ratio and net worth will im-

prove, and future financing alternatives will be en-

hanced by switching from a private to publicly traded

company.

The presentation was even more insightful, as he in-

formed that the creation of the SME market in T&T,

offered SMEs a 60% tax incentive.

Ratings you can depend on – CariCRIS

Wayne Dass, CEO, CariCRIS offered a presentation

emphasizing CariCRIS’ aim for the growth and devel-

opment of the SME sector by enhancing the ability of firms to access appropriately-priced financing. CariC-

RIS also aims to assist banks to set lending rates to

SMEs based on a more structured and scientific meas-

urement of risk

SMEs may rely on credit ratings as an independent

verification of their own credit-worthiness and the re-

sultant value of the instruments they may be able to

acquire. Credit ratings are used by investors, issuers,

investment banks, broker-dealers, and governments.

For investors, credit rating agencies increase the range

of investment alternatives and provide independent,

easy-to-use measurements of relative credit risk; this generally increases the efficiency of the market, lower-

ing costs for both borrowers and lenders.

FINPYME Credit FINPYME Credit is a reliable source of financing for

eligible SMEs from the Inter-American Investment

Corporation (IIC). This type of financing is available in

the form of standardized small loans in amounts rang-

ing from US$100,000 to US$600,000, with an expe-

dited internal approval process and a potential inter-

est rate of 5% to 7%. FINPYME Credit loans can be

used for a variety of business purposes, including

investments in working capital and fixed assets.

Direct Assistance for your company

Kirk Brown, Senior Grant Advisor, Caribbean Ex-

port Development Agency presented on the grant

funding offered by this agency through their Direct

Assistance Grant Scheme. It is a funding facility spe-

cifically designed to provide financial assistance to

legally registered businesses with the potential to

export their products and services. The programme

provides reimbursement financing to firms/

individuals/Business Support Organisations to fi-

nance projects and actions.

TTMA is pleased to note that the last call for propos-

als was in June 2012 with 92 beneficiaries of the

Regular Procedure Grants contracts being awarded

by September 2012, with total funding of

€2,498,794.04.

Innovation through competition

The TTMA was unable to have a presenter from the

Compete Caribbean - Enterprise Innovation Chal-lenge Fund (EICF), however information was shared

with attendees as the competition was launched on

October 1st and runs until November 30th. The EICF

has two funding options - The Innovation Window

and the Support to Clusters Window.

The Innovation Window is designed to probe for and

develop the ingenuity of the Caribbean private sector

by encouraging firms and entrepreneurs across the

Caribbean states to compete for non-reimbursable

grant funding up to US $500,000.

The JA-TT Trade Facilitation Desk takes this op-

portunity to encourage Jamaican firms to take ad-

vantage of the CariCRIS programme, the FIN-

PYME Credit, the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme,

as well as the EICF, as all can be accessible by Ja-

maican companies.

For further information on the financ-

ing opportunities seminar, please con-

tact Giselle Roberts (TTMA Member-

ship Officer) membership@ttma.com

P A G E 4

Ms. Kavita Maharaj, Consultant for IDB

presenting on FINPYME Credit programme

at the TTMA’s financing seminar.

P A G E 5

“ J A M A I C A T R A D E D E S K N E W S ”

Celebrating Jamaica manufacturing excellence... (1/2)

JAMAICA UPDATES

To mark the 65th Anniversary of the Jamaica Manu-

facturers’ Association (JMA), manufacturing excel-

lence was recognized at the 44th Annual Awards

Banquet under the theme “Buy Jamaican… Build

Jamaica for Jamaica 50”, on October 4, 2012, at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel.

The Award Ceremony exemplified the elite of manu-

facturing innovation, commitment to excellence and

dedication to employees and community as JMA

members vied for top awards in twenty-five catego-

ries.

Additionally the Banquet featured:

“Flavours of Jamaica 50” meal: this incorpo-

rated products from iconic companies such as

Red Stripe, GraceKennedy, Jamaica Broilers

Group/Best Dressed Chicken, Rainforest Sea-

food and JP Tropical Foods, tantalizing the taste buds of all patrons.

Silent Auction: patrons bidded on their favourite locally manufactured goods from processed

foods to ceramic décor pieces as well as hotel

accommodations and local attractions.

Red carpet Spotlight Fashion segment which

was hosted by Miss Jamaica World 2006, Sara

Lawrence and Mrs. Novia McDonald Whyte,

Senior Associate Editor-Lifestyle and Social

Content, Jamaica Observer Ltd. This was aimed

at promoting local fashion designers, by encour-

aging patrons to wear Jamaican designed outfits.

The keynote speaker was the Most Honourable

Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister who shared on “The Way Forward for the Manufacturing Sec-

tor”. Over five hundred (500) guests were in atten-

dance including the Hon. Marigold Harding, Custos

Rotulorum for St. Andrew, the Hon. Anthony Hylton

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce,

members of the Diplomatic Corp, among other dis-

Winners at the 44th JMA Awards Banquet at the Wyndham

tinguished guests who joined us in

recognition of manufacturers that

have been a strong pillar of Jamaica’s

development as we celebrate Ja-

maica’s 50th year of independence.

The winners of the Awards were:

Product Group Awards

- Chemical, Cosmetics & Pharma-

ceutical Product Group: Newport

Fersan (Jamaica) Ltd.

- Electrical, Electronics & Automo-

tive Product Group Award: Nicorp

Ltd

- Food & Agro Product Group: J

Wray & Nephew Ltd.

- For Minerals & Metal Products: Caribbean Cement Company Ltd

- Printing, Packaging and Paper Products:

Corrpak Jamaica Ltd

- Textiles & Sewn Products: Designs By Marc

- Furniture, Bedding and Wooden Products

Group: Boss Furniture Company Ltd.

Special Recognition Awards Presentation

- Community Development Award in the

small manufacturer category: P.A. Benjamin

Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

- Community Development Award in the

large manufacturer category: Red Stripe

- HIV/AIDS Advocacy Award: Red Stripe.

Robert Lightbourne Award for Skill and Produc-

tivity

- In the category of Small and Medium Enter-

prise (SME): P.A. Benjamin Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

- In the category of Large Manufacturer: Red

Stripe.

Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Award for Competitiveness: P.A. Benjamin Manu-

facturing Co. Ltd.

Jamaica Public Service Company Limited

(JPSCo) Award for the Best Use of Energy and

Resource Efficiency: Dairy Industries (Jamaica)

Ltd.

National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ)

Best Environmental Management Programme:

Berger Paints Jamaica Ltd.

Digicel Business ICT Award: J. Wray and Nephew

Ltd.

Jamaica Council for Persons with Disability En-

ablement Award: Prestigious Bindery and Accesso-

ries.

Nicola Gordon Rowe Buy Jamaican Award:

Honey Bun Limited.

P A G E 6

JMA 44th Annual Awards Banquet... (2/2)

Champion Exporter Awards

Champion Exporter Award in the category of

Small Exporter: Spur Tree Spices Jamaica Ltd.

Champion Exporter in the category of Medium

Exporter: Agricultural Chemical Plant.

The Champion Exporter in the category of Large

Exporter: Red Stripe.

Eddie Hall Award for New Manufacturer of the

Year: Lifespan Company Ltd.

C. Henderson-Davis Breakthrough Product of the

Year Award: Edgechem Jamaica Limited for

Automel Super.

Ray Hadeed Award for Best Small and Me-

dium Sized Enterprise: P.A. Benjamin Manufac-

turing Co. Ltd.

The Governor General’s Award for Excellence

Manufacturer of the Year for 2011 sponsored by

EXIM Bank: Wisynco Group Limited.

For more information, kindly contact: Rochelle De-

Walker (PRO) Rochelle.jma@cwjamaica.com

The 6th International Food Safety Conference, convened by

the Food Hygiene Bureau, was successfully staged from

October 18-19th, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort &

Spa in Montego Bay.

The bi-annual event was attended

by approximately 150 industry

partners and stakeholders, with

presenters from UK, USA, Can-

ada and the Caribbean, under the

theme “Food Safety Challenges,

Changing World Economy, Cul-

ture and Technologies”.

Opening keynote, the Hon. Ian

Hayles, State Minister, Ministry

of Agriculture & Fisheries recog-nized the important role of the

conference and declared that

“safe food plays an integral role

in food security and the health of our nation and our

visitors, so in 2011 cabinet approved a food safety policy

and the national agricultural health and food safety coordi-

nating committee, with the agricultural competitiveness

project and the cabinet’s modernization division prepared

an implementation plan for this policy which is now before

cabinet.”

The Hon. Ffolkes-Abrahams, State Minister, Ministry of

Industry Investment and Commerce, was the keynote on

second day. She highlighted the 26th Session of the Codex

Committee on fresh fruits and vegetables recently held just

a few days prior at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel, stating it

was “the first time that a small developing country such as

Jamaica has been able to negotiate successfully with the

US to co-host an event of this significance.” She also em-

phasized that “food safety is an important issue, which

requires collaboration among various sector interests

for the prevention of food-borne diseases, and our farm-

6th International Food Safety Conference!

Elaborating further, she said “Panama is expanding its

canal to accommodate large ships; we will also dredge

our harbour, which is known as the 7th largest in the

world, joining Singapore, Rotterdam, and Panama.”

She encouraged Jamaican entities to “put their house in order or opportunity windows will be closed.”

Sharon Parris-Chambers, Event Sponsor and Chair-

person of the Conference, introduced Marva Hewitt-

Heaven, CEO of the Food Hygiene Bureau, who ad-

vocated a “farm to fork” approach as a way to safe-

guard local food businesses and consumer health. 60%

of Jamaica’s income comes from Tourism and Food

Export which totals approximately US$118 million

(Based on figures for 2010). It is therefore important

that we recognize the fragile product that benefits us

all….The conference will address concerns regarding export issues, new legislation and impact on a local

company’s ability to achieve certification for exports

into overseas markets and the need for food busi-

nesses to adopt a proactive approach towards food

safety.” Hon. Ffolkes-Abrahams’ endorsed the international

conference and showed the importance of businesses

preparing for future opportunities in Central America,

which includes learning to speak Spanish.

The conference presenters provided insightful, rele-

vant and important information for the food and hos-

pitality industries that if applied would advance Ja-

maica’s position globally.

Those who missed this valuable conference can read the papers online at www.foodsafetyconference-

jamaica.org or contact Marva Hewitt-Heaven at

marva.hewitt@foodhygiene-consultancy.co.uk

P A G E 7

Wisynco: Jamaican Manufacturer of the year 2011!

Wisynco a Jamaican-owned company is the proud re-

cipient of the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association Gov-

ernor General’s award as Manufacturer of the year

2011. This is following the award for Break Through

product, “Cran Wata”, for the year 2008. Manufacturing is taken seriously by the company and they continually

give kudos to the staff for ensuring that a highest quality

of products comes off the line.

Wisynco started in plastic goods, supplying its own brand

“sweet” which consists of disposable food and beverage

ware such as plates, cups and containers to its home

country of Jamaica. Wisynco later branched out into

beverages and has developed great brands such as

WATA, BIGGA, CRAN WATA and BOOM Energy

Drink.

The company also under license, manufactures and dis-tributes a number of international brands such as Coca-

Cola, Schweppes, Minute Maid and many others. The

company was once responsible for making Jamaica the

largest per capita consumer of Ocean Spray beverages.

Unfortunately the company no longer markets and dis-

tributes the brand.

Wisynco now has products in 26 markets around the

world and its looking to continue on the growth path. The

distribution of beverages began in the late ’90s, early

2000s when a beverage facility started under a new com-pany called the Jamaican Drink Company. The first drink

manufactured was BIGGA.

Through the growth

objectives strong ini-

tiatives were devel-

oped by launching in

the USA through a partnership with the

Golden Krust Carib-

bean Bakery & Grill

restaurants making

Bigga Soda its exclu-

sive soft drink. There

are 120 Golden Krust stores which will help to give

the company the largest volume of Bigga outside of

Jamaica. The plan is to aggressively push with this

further expansion into the United States over the next

three years.

“The Innovators’’, staying true to their slogan, Wi-synco is working on a number of new products that it

hopes to debut soon. They have re-launched a brand

under its Wata label called Cran Wata.

A company with entrepreneurialism, innovation and

native pride at its heart, Wisynco is committed to

developing products that people can enjoy across

continents. Other priority markets now are the United

States, United Kingdom and the Caribbean.

For more information on Wisynco, please contact Ste-

phen Dawkins (Export Manager) ste-

phend@wisynco.com

Experience Kingston in Trinidad...

The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association-Kingston

Chapter, in association with The Jamaica Tourist Board

(JTB) and Caribbean Airlines, organized a sales trip to

Trinidad recently to highlight all that their capital city,

Kingston, the heartbeat of Jamaica has to offer in order

to boost travel there.

The Kingston team’s two days in Trinidad involved visit-

ing travel agencies in and around Port of Spain on one

day, and corporate appointments the second day, ending

with a cocktail reception at The Courtyard by Marriott

called “Experience Kingston”. Each delegate gave stimu-

lating presentations supported by attractive visuals of

each of their areas.

To recap the presentations, Adrian Harrison of the JTB

started with an overview of all that the beautiful island of Jamaica has to offer. The Norman Manley International

Airport representative, Grace Morrison, then spoke of the

newly refurbished hub, boasting expansive check-in, de-

parture and arrival lounge areas, along with Club King-

ston, the new VIP Lounge.

Maurice Bryan gave a presentation on Kingston, hav-

ing numerous attractions, top hotels, restaurants and

shopping for the discerning business or leisure trav-

eler, and then spoke about his hotels-The Courtleigh

Hotel & Suites and Knutsford Court Hotel, making way for Sophia Butler to showcase The Jamaica Pega-

sus Hotel, and Christina Taylor to feature the Wynd-

ham Kingston Hotel. Heron Thompson topped off the

evening with showing how guests can get around

Kingston in style through the services of Galaxy

Tours, offering from car and bus service to limousine

transfers. The invitees, a mix of travel agents and cor-

porate representatives, were treated to a raffle for

giveaways of weekends for two to the participating

hotels in Kingston to experience it for themselves.

For more information on Kingston, its attractions, hotels & more, you may contact The Jamaica Hotel

& Tourist Association at : 876-926-3635 or visit

www.jhta.org

P A G E 8

One from ten revisited...

CARICOM CORNER

When the late Dr. Eric Williams made his famous state-

ment, "one from ten is zero", all and sundry then, at

least in Trinidad & Tobago, respected and adhered to

the direction taken by the esteemed leader.

Everyone knows the result, the Federation failed, CARIFTA was tried and since then the English island

states of the Caribbean region have been trying, un-

successfully, to deepen the process of integration. As

to the question of how deep the integration process is

– the answer to this is subjective. Some may argue

that the region is at the Customs Union level, others

would say it is at the Common Market stage.

The fact of the matter is that Caricom is nowhere close

to where it should be. When you consider that the Euro-

pean Union started its integration movement around the

same time as Caricom, you will realise that this region is a long way from achieving its goal of being fully inte-

grated with the free movement of the factors of produc-

tion assisting in the growth and prosperity of the region.

Today, Member States of the region are still not seeing

the benefits of true unity. Put another way, Member

States continue to hold on to national sovereign posi-

tions over the long term possible gains to be had from a

truly deepened integration movement. As such there

continue to be, among other short comings, numerous

trade wars among the Member States of Caricom. At a

time when the region should be moving in one particular

direction that speaks to unity and deepened integration

to combat the rigors of a globalized world trading envi-

ronment, members of Caricom are continuing to put up

barriers against growing regional trade and development

among Member States. Can Caricom sovereign states

survive the world's globalization drive on their own,

without integrating? The obvious answer is no, yet it

looks as if that this is exactly what is being prescribed in

some territories given some sovereign countries' actions.

It appears to the casual observer that countries within the

region prefer to continue along the lines of national sov-

ereign autocratic rule of play over the regional good of

deepening and widening the integration movement, al-

lowing for strength in numbers and pooling of resources

thus preparing member states for the inevitable global

free trade reality. The view of this layman is that Caricom

must use the opportunity that is afforded to its members

in having a regional trading bloc (CARICOM) to develop

competencies to engage the wider world. All efforts

should be used to strengthen ties to, inter alia, build effi-

ciencies, grow industries, add value, integrate production

and enhance output both in goods and services, such that

the region can continue to exist and expand it’s worth.

This will allow the countries belonging to Caricom to

grow and find their niches in a growing single world

economy where the developed and emerging countries

are seeking to capture the majority of the world's market

shares for their own good.

Time is running out for the region. There are numerous

talks about countries going on their own. In many disci-

plines it is being discussed: cricket, trade and education;

there is talk to hold on to sovereignty over building the

integration movement. It is not too late to get it right, the

region cannot afford another arithmetic faux pas; the

region may never get another chance. Now is the time to

make the harsh decisions for the overall good of the

region, even if in some instances the short term losses

may appear unforgiving. Politicians, traders, NGOs, aca-

demia, BSOs all need to nature the process now.

Contribution from the TTMA Trade Specialist Mr.

Mahindra Ramesh Ramdeen tradedesk@ttma.com

© Copyright TTMA 2012 - The voice of business enterprises

Message from the TTMA:

The Board of Directors, Secretariat & membership of the TTMA takes this opportunity to extend our support and

prayers to all of our Jamaican counterparts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The TTMA recognizes the adverse

impact of such disasters on people; businesses and the economy and it is beyond a doubt a horrendous and catastro-

phic event that has affected your country. We empathize with our colleagues in Jamaica at this time and pledge our

support to assist wherever possible in coming months.

At the TTMA, we have encountered first hand in business, the passion and the power that is Jamaica and it is this

power of a people that we believe will ensure the required strength to rebuild in the face of such disaster. We believe

that the resolute tenacity and ingenuity that is synonymous with Jamaica will rise above this negative to return busi-

nesses and the country to operational normalcy.

TTMA stands committed to partner with Jamaican manufacturers and exporters to overcome setbacks faced by Hur-

ricane Sandy through the support of the Jamaica-TT Trade Desk now and moving forward. Our prayers are with

you.