MOA seminar educates Dominican ag exporters on US regulations
Director of Trade, Matthan Walter highlighted U.S. support to Dominica’s efforts to provide a higher standard of living for its citizens. Dominica and the U.S. continue to work together in many areas including trade.
“In 2013, export trade with the US reached EC$506,823.12, we exported approximately EC$424,967.23 worth of dasheen for example. We continue to export sweet potatoes, sweet peppers, teabags, nutmeg, other cinnamon, ginger and pawpaw to name a few to the U.S. It’s clear therefore that…our hard-working farmers in Dominica benefit from exportation to this market.”
The Director of Trade further revealed that in 2012 the U.S. imported over nine million tons of fresh produce, to include bananas, pineapples, avocado and mangoes from Dominica. These imports doubled in 2016.
He urged stakeholders to take advantage of the opportunities which these statistics present.
“We feel that when we are asked to make efforts to meet regional and international standards that the government entities requesting this are putting unnecessary pressures on the farmers and hucksters or trying to create hardships in their business. I want to tell you today that we live in a new dispensation and time is changing. Therefore, if standards are not met and regulations put in place by our trading partners not adhered to, these training opportunities will be distant and non-accessible.”
source: news.gov.dm
