Caricom Makes Recommendations on Region’s Banana Industry

Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding told this morning’s session of the 30th regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom that the European Commission (EC) has presented a revised schedule for the reduction of tariffs on bananas from the non-African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries.
Mr. Golding was making his report as chair of the Prime Ministerial sub-committee on external negotiations.
Mr. Golding said the EC is proposing to reduce the tariffs from the present 176 Euros per ton to 136 Euros per ton by 2011. The tariffs protect ACP countries like Jamaica, St. Lucia and other banana producing countries in the Caribbean. However, Mr. Golding said that the timeframe is too short for countries like St. Lucia, which are very dependent on banana production, to make the adjustment. The Caricom group has taken a decision to mount an initiative at the highest political level to get the timeframe extended.