CARICOM heads to hear rum industry’s woes

After years of failed attempts to find a resolution to the ongoing rum dispute in the Caribbean, the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC) will be making another desperate appeal to Caribbean Heads of Government, at next week’s Caricom summit in Guyana.

The United States ongoing subsidy to rum producers in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico was highlighted as a major threat to the rest of the Caribbean’s rum industry,

Speaking to OBSERVER media yesterday, Secretary of CAIC, Dave Kowlessar revealed the association’s immediate plan to address the growing problem.

According to Kowlessar, the President of CAIC Ramesh Dookhoo will be meeting with Caricom heads of government to further strengthen the case that Caribbean governments need to take a firmer stance on addressing the effects such subsidy continues to have on the rum industry in other Caribbean territories.

“What we want to have is the support of the region’s private sector and Caribbean governments, because of late, Caribbean governments seem to be just taking what is dished out to us.

“We’re looking for a stronger stance to protect our niche market. We have a unique value proposition, so we should be taking care of it rather than losing ground, and having to keep working harder at it,” he said.