Haiti - Economy : Jamaica is interested in the potential of the Haitian market
At the last quarterly press conference of the Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Jamaica (JMEA) in Kingston, Metry Seaga, the President of JMEA encouraged local manufacturers and exporters to explore existing untapped markets in neighboring countries, particularly in Haiti "Jamaica and our region remain untapped markets, as can be seen on the local and regional shelves. We recently learned at COTED (Council for Trade and Economic Development) that by October 2019, Haiti will put in place the administrative and legislative framework for duty-free trading of goods [...] This is an opportunity that must not pass us. Haiti is a big market that's right next door to us. We must use this opportunity as business people, as manufacturers, to get in there early and start to sell our goods and services."
In addition, Metry Seaga recalled "Jamaica is already on the right path to exponential export growth; however, there is much work to be done. The country's total exports of goods were recorded at approximately US$1.3 billion in 2017, 12.46 per cent more than the previous year and the highest it has been since 2008. While this is a commendable feat, it is still a far cry from the National Export Strategy II (NES II) target of $2.5 billion by 2019."
