With just under a month remaining before the staging of the October 19-20 Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo (FITCE) it appears that barring an eleventh hour change in circumstances, the chances of a full-strength group of Guyanese small businesses participating in the event are slim. A meeting last week between the Government of Guyana and an official of the Florida-based Guyanese-American Chamber of Commerce (GACC), which had been seen as a last-minute window for a change of heart on the part of the government after it turned down a request for a state subsidy to meet the costs of local participation in the event, reportedly ended with nothing changed.
Seeking, however, to utilize the opportunity of the presence here of members of the Florida-based organization, the GACC has disclosed that it will stage a forum for local business owners seeking to gain access to US markets, on Monday September 26 in the Conference room (the Glass Room) of the Critchlow Labour College under the theme “Effective Strategies for Exporting to the United States.”
This comes in the wake of a recent Stabroek Business interview with GACC Secretary Melissa Gordon during which she highlighted the importance of Guyanese businesses seeking to secure market access in the US, familiarizing themselves with the necessary rules and regulations.
During the interview, Gordon said that Guyanese business houses seeking access to the United States market needed to be particularly mindful of issues that include health regulations and rules regarding the need to provide scientific proof of health-enhancing and other claims made in product-marketing pursuits.
She said that while there was much evidence of an encouraging level of demand for Guyanese-made products including condiments and food sauces in the US, particularly where Guyanese and other Caribbean people reside, a lack of knowledge of rules and regulations could negatively affect prospective Guyanese importers.
Stabroek Business understands that Executive Chairman of the Demerara Distillers Ltd Komal Samaroo has responded positively to an invitation to participate in the September 28 forum.
According to reports, US Ambassador Sarah Ann Lynch has also agreed to participate. FITCE is widely regarded as an important business promotion springboard for emerging enterprises in the Caribbean and the wider hemisphere. This year’s seventh annual staging of the event is expected to see the participation of 500 businesses from more than 60 countries, as well as 1,500 local (US-based) ones. Government officials from participating countries also attend the event.
