Caribbean Export Awards €700,000 to Agri-business and Handicraft Firms in Haiti and the Dominican Republic

The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) has awarded €700,000 to 31 firms and Business Support Organizations (BSOs) in Haiti and the Dominican Republic via the Binational Grants Programme, as part of the Haiti/Dominican Republic Binational Programme, Commerce Component, funded by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF).
The announcement was made at the launch and reimbursement workshops in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, on 16th and 20th March, 2015, respectively. Grant contracts were awarded to 21 Dominican organizations for an approximate value of €500,000, and to 10 Haitian firms for an approximate value of €200,000.
The resources seek to benefit companies and BSOs from the agribusiness and handicraft sectors that are currently exporting or that have the potential to export their products, with the purpose of increasing their competitiveness by increasing production capacity, developing market and export strategies, participating in international fairs, obtaining quality certifications, among others.

Opening remarks at the launch event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic were given by Ambassador Alberto Navarro, head of the EU Delegation to the Dominican Republic; Mr. Antonio Vargas, National Authority of the European Development Funds and Director of the General Directorate of Multilateral Cooperation (DIGECOOM); and Mr. Escipión Oliveira, Deputy Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency.
In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, opening remarks at the launch were delivered by Ambassador Javier Niño Pérez, Head of the EU Delegation to Haiti who congratulated the grant recipients expressing that they “presented solid projects that reflect a vision and a development strategy for the medium and long term that will contribute to the building of a more dynamic Haitian economy”.  Mr. Charles Jean Jacques, National Authority of the European Development Funds (BONFED); and Mr. Jean-Claude Merine, Deputy Programme Manager of Caribbean Export Development Agency also addressed the attending audience.
The reimbursement workshops were conducted by Mr. Horacio Alvarez, Private Sector Expert at the Caribbean Export Development Agency, with the participation of more than 50 executives and representatives of Dominican and Haitian beneficiary firms and BSOs.