Dr. Arnold Mc Intyre: Director, Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), Barbados

"The Role of Caribbean Export Development Agency in Preparing FTA Negotiations."

Comments

Ambassador Bernal wondered about the opportunities to be opened up for the region through FTA negotiations. He said that the region must consider the global economy and see what opportunities it could exploit. He believed that it was a matter of orientation and framework which depended, in large part on the organisation of the CARICOM Secretariat.

Dr. Yankey emphasised the need to use the services of the successful businessmen for they could provide the most useful guidance in entering the market and forming alliances. He also wanted to know Dr. Mc Intyre's views about the benefits of export credit.

Mr. Beaubrun warned that the region would have to be careful when trying to gain access to foreign markets for these were never safe for small economies. He thought that the region should first explore the possibilities which existed and then start to produce but said that this did not happen in practice.

Dr. Nurse said that the region often spoke of trade access but really had nothing to sell. He felt that CARICOM should consider industrial policy and supply capability, and then move to production. He believed that communication was important and that the region must adopt a different approach to the way in which research was effected.

Mr. Tewari wondered why CARICOM wasn't using its strategically placed missions to penetrate markets for exporters. He also asked whether Caribbean exporters were serious about achieving their trade objectives or whether they simply had nothing to sell.

Ambassador Bernal commented that for years he had been advocating that Caribbean countries make better use of their consuls and consuls-general He felt that the embassies could be merged with the private sector and operationalised in a variety of ways. The problem, in his opinion, was that the people covering trade and investment were inexperienced.

Mr. Bulbulia wondered if the decision to enter into reciprocal trade agreements suggested a breakdown in or absence of communication among the parties involved and if so what was being done to resolve this.

Dr. Yankey agreed with Ambassador Bernal's statement. He reiterated the overseas mission's importance to trade as it gave a good base in the market that the region was trying to penetrate. To use a foreign office in such a way, however, should be a wider government policy rather than purely a diplomatic one.

Ms. Joy Wheeler commented that the Jamaican High Commission in Trinidad and Tobago also housed the Jamaican Trade Commission. She saw the need to reorient the approach to trade and to address the transportation problem in a real way.

Mr. Beaubrun then asked whether the question of pressures from external forces in the market had been addressed in data-gathering.

Dr. Yankey suggested that the region examine and try to learn from the Latin American Model.

Ambassador Bernal added that in considering trade, the region should not limit itself to goods, but also include the telecommunications market and service industries.

Dr. Mc Intyre considered Dr. Bernal's comments very relevant. He thought they could contribute to the development of a strategic trade policy which would be based upon identifying key areas and the recognition that some aspects of global relations had changed fundamentally. Dr. Mc Intyre felt that CARICOM should re-position, outline its priorities and set up development strategies which would provide a framework for operation. The current problem was that CARICOM, as an entity, had no global repositioning strategy and, until one was identified, the exporters in the region would always be trying to "catch a deal". This was so because, in spite of a wealth of human resources, CARICOM' s negotiating structure was still badly organised and too bureaucratic.

Dr. Mc Intyre also agreed with Mr. Yankey about the need for the government to take a stronger role in the formulation of export strategy through the dissemination of information and on-going dialogue with the parties involved. Most successful businessmen were unwilling to share their knowledge with their competitors. Regarding export credit, financiers would not lend to exporters while policy-makers in developing countries were unwilling to invest their limited resources in export development. He recommended, therefore, that the region seek to build strategic alliances and attract investors.