The first consignment of goods from Haiti shipped under a temporary non-reciprocal preferential basis with other CARICOM member states arrived in St. George’s, Grenada last week.
Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General Trade and Economic Development, hailed the development as “a positive one by Haiti to become a part of CARICOM’s trading arrangements”, according to a press release from the CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen. He also lauded the Community’s non-reciprocal access to sister member state Haiti as a sign of their commitment to Haiti’s reconstruction through private sector engagement. According to the release, the shipment of items, including wall decorations, candle and napkin holders, and wind chimes, was made under the special arrangement agreed by the Council of Trade and Economic Development (COTED) last year and endorsed by CARICOM Heads of Government. Haiti made the request for the arrangement in May last year at the Thirtieth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) in Georgetown. The concession became effective from January 1 this year and Haiti indicated that the date of implementation of the decision was March 14.
Haiti was preparing for participation in the Trade in Goods regime of the CARICOM Single Market (CSM) when the earthquake struck in January 2010, the release added.
