CSME Will Bring Increased Competition – Paulwell

Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell, has warned local producers, that the coming of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) would place increased pressure on them to compete effectively with their CARICOM neighbors.
Minister Paulwell was launching the Quality Jamaica Project on Wednesday, July 9 at Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.
The US$1.4 million project was funded through the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank, along with budgetary support from the Ministry of Finance and Planning.
The Quality Jamaica Project, which is being implemented and administered by the Jamaica Bureau of Standards, seeks to introduce International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) Management and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s), to enable them to deliver goods and services of high quality, on time, in required quantities and at competitive prices, thereby competing with international firms on an equal footing, the Minister explained.
Citing the implementation of the CSME, the 2005 activation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and the termination of preferences under the Lome Convention, he said all future trade agreements must therefore comply with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, the result of which will open trade borders and attract fierce international competition.
“So even if you do not now export or plan to export, the Minister said, “this development will have significance for you, in terms of the international performance standards and pricing of products, which will be imported into this country and with which you must compete”.
Against this background, the Minister said, the range of international standards and technical requirements that are required by all markets, regional and international, assume greater significance.
One of 13 projects earmarked for the Latin American and Caribbean region, the Quality Jamaica Project will be implemented over a three-year period to provide training in ISO 9000 (Quality), ISO 14000 (Environmental) and HACCP (Food Safety).
Funding is available under the project, to assist companies in implementing systems relevant to them, with the medium term objective of reducing the cost of putting such systems in place, by developing a cadre of local consultants specifically trained in implementing procedures and strengthening the Jamaica Bureau of Standards.
For participating firms, this could mean increased profitability and productivity, increased competitiveness, and access to training, funding and increased international recognition.