Seminar to discuss new procedures for Haitian goods

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):

A two-day seminar for the Haitian private sector on the management of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) trade will be held in Port-au-Prince starting today, the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat has announced.

It said that the event is being organised by the CARICOM Representation Office in Haiti and the Bureau de Co-ordination et de Suivi des Accords de la CARICOM, de lÕOMC et de la ZLEA, of the Government of Haiti.

Commerce Minister Josseline Fethrier will deliver the feature address at the seminar that will be attended by nearly 60 private sector representatives.

The one-day seminar is being held as a result of the coming into effect, on January 1, of an agreement for non reciprocal preferential access for some Haitian goods into the CARICOM market.

Under the arrangement, CARICOM has agreed to allow Haiti to export a selected list of products duty free into the regional market for a three-year period without Haiti having to grant the same access to other CARICOM states, even though Haiti is a member of the Single Market.

"This special arrangement for Haiti is part of CARICOM's support of its member state in its post-earthquake recovery efforts."

The seminar will be conducted by officials from the CARICOM Secretariat and the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) in Barbados.