CMC
Monday, April 7, 2014
Dominica is exploring the possibility of acquiring a ship to transport its produce to other Caribbean countries, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has said.
“What we’re seeking to do, from the government of Dominica standpoint, is to seek to acquire our own vessel, our own boats, to help address the transportation issue, to the south of Dominica, Trinidad, Barbados in particular which are very important markets to us, in so far as our agricultural produce is concerned,” Skerrt told reporters.
“There are a couple of issues which we have to address. The main problem there is regular transportation … so this week you have the boats going and the following week there is no boat, and we cannot trade without a reliable form of transportation,” he added.
Skerrit said that his administration was now seeking to intensify negotiations with Barbados on increasing trade opportunities between the two CARICOM countries and that over the past months he has seen an increase in the amount of Dominican produce getting into the Barbadian market.
Skerrit said that Dominica was doing its best to try to reduce the two billion US dollar food import bill insisting that regional countries needed to assist each other in that regard.
“Because if I can supply Barbados with agricultural produce it means it’s going to be much cheaper than that which you get from sometimes the Latin American countries and Miami,” Skerrit said, suggesting that Dominica could also provide water to other Caribbean countries.
