Call for Caribbean agriculture to focus on differentiated product markets

23 April 2012

Leaders in the Caribbean food and agricultural products sector have called for a greater focus on meeting the ‘demands from niche markets around the world’, by producing ‘differentiated product offerings to sell to affluent markets’. According to Keeley Holder, Managing Director of Produce Growers Ltd, this requires developing an intimate understanding of customer needs and appropriately targeted marketing strategies. Potential markets identified by Ms Holder include markets for ginger, sweet potato and butternut squash in the UK and fresh/dry herbs in the USA.
In some areas, Caribbean countries are already significant suppliers of niche products. According to CARICOM analysis, both Belize and Jamaica are among the top ten suppliers of papaya, with Belize alone accounting for 10% of global trade. In recent years papaya exports from Guyana and Dominican Republic have also been growing strongly. However, there is growing competition from Latin American suppliers, particularly in the light of the recently concluded FTA arrangements between the EU and a range of Latin American countries.

Sources

Barbados Advocate, ‘Tap into niche markets’, 3 March 2012
http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?NewsID=23167
CARICOM Secretariat Office of Trade Negotiations, ‘CARICOM’s papaya trade’, Private Sector Trade Note Vol. 23, 6 March 2012
http://crnm.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=543...