BARBADOS AND THE region continue to hit a brick wall in trying to export rum to the United States, says Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss.
He was speaking on Tuesday night at a rum tasting session, part of a three day West Indies Rum and Spirit Producers Association Inc. technical training seminar at the Accra Resort, Rockley, Christ Church.
Inniss said this posed a “significant challenge” and was a “real and present danger” to regional rum and spirit manufacturers.
“I know in recent times we have had some success in Belgium and Germany and I am told we are making strides into Italy and Mexico as well, but we have challenges . . . with our neighbour north in the US of A (United States of America) in terms of their decision to impose a cover over tax on spirits coming out of the Caribbean and other parts of the world into the US of A,” he said.
“I think what the USA has done is wrong and goes against the fundamental tenants of fair trade. It has done and can continues to do considerable damage to the economies of the region so we have been lobbying over and over again for that cover over tax to be removed.
“What has been happening is that the USVI (United States Virgin Islands) and Puerto Rico have now been producing competing products at a price where we now cannot get back into that market,” he said. (CA)