The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) recently held a series of high level meetings with Ministry officials and key Stakeholders in Haiti. These meetings were not only to strengthen the relationship with Haiti but also to set the agenda for the Agency’s commitment to supporting Haiti’s buoyant private sector to achieve greater competitiveness and integration into the regional and international markets. In a meeting with the Minister of Trade and Industry of Haiti, Mr. Wilson Laleau, Executive Director, Pamela Coke-Hamilton stressed the importance of the Haiti’s private sector as she believes that “Haiti has a role to play in integrating the Caribbean in to the world economy and there is a need to drive production and the export capacity”.
African suppliers are ready to export up to 100 000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables per week, previously delivered into Russia via EU. African producers intend to increase the direct export to Russia, bypass the European countries, - announced Elena Nagornaya, the President of the Trade Alliance of African countries in Russia. According to the results of 2014, East African countries have the opportunity to increase export of fresh products to Russia by 3-4 times. They are ready to export the following products to Russia directly: pineapples, bananas, citrus fruit, apples, nuts, avocado, strawberries, ginger. Without the chain of intermediaries, the prices are believed to decrease by 20%. By estimate of the Alliance, African products total up to 80% of the European fruit market.
Ethiopia, as Africa's largest producer of coffee, is expanding its banding and trade marking of more coffees to increase competitiveness and enhance relations with global buyers. It has submitted applications to Australia and Brazil for named brands and trademarks. Teshome Sileshi, of Ethiopia's Intellectual Property Office says the "objective of the negotiations is also to prevent illegal coffee trade, unfair price fixing and profiteering involving Ethiopian coffee brands in the world market."
Sixty-one heads of government and other top-level officials from African and European countries converged last March in Brussels, the de facto European Union capital, to discuss mutual relations. After two days of deliberations, they issued a 63-point agreement laced with customary platitudes such as “We take particular pride in the breadth and depth of our partnership”and “We are convinced that the growth of our two continents will be mutually beneficial.” Although the leaders discussed such issues as ongoing fighting in the Central African Republic, democracy, regional integration, immigration, and development assistance, the elephant in the room was the flagging trade relations between Africa and Europe.
The European Union, a net sugar importer, could emerge as a major exporter of white sugar to the Middle East and Africa after production quotas are lifted in 2017, eroding the market share of northern hemisphere refineries. The EU is expected to end sugar production quotas - currently at some 14 million tonnes per year - as part of reforms to create a freer sugar market