06/09/2023

Export Saint Lucia presents new and emerging markets for traditional and new products

By Export St Lucia

Export Saint Lucia over the last few months has embarked on a series of interventions aimed at diversifying the export basket and seeking new markets for goods and services from Saint Lucia. The Agency, the national trade export promotion agency of the Government of Saint Lucia, continues to work assiduously with producers of high quality goods and services which meet the required standards for various export markets. Currently, even with a noticeable decline in exports of agri-produce, owing to the after effects of Tropical Storm Bret, year-to-date domestic exports are trending similarly to 2022, confirming that exports have returned to pre-covid levels. The manufacturing and construction sectors have both out-performed 2022 so far and that trend is expected to continue with most of September and an entire quarter left in the calendar year.

Following the decline of the market in the UK for Saint Lucia bananas, the Agency was tasked with finding a new home for our green gold. Research-led missions to neighbouring islands revealed that the region could absorb and even surpass the volume of bananas which would have otherwise been destined for the UK. Islands such as Antigua, Barbados, St Kitts and Trinidad were identified for specific high demand for Saint Lucia's bananas. These and other regional markets have also shown high demand for other “non-banana” produce, inclung plantain, coconuts, mangoes, dasheen, cucumbers and sea-moss.

Saint Lucian sea-moss continues to be a high performer as exports in 2023 are expected to surpass that of 2022 according to current statistics. New markets and continued growing demand has kept Saint Lucia sea-moss top-of mind, in high demand internationally. The Government of Saint Lucia, through the agency, has injected technical and financial assistance to the sea-moss subsector. This assistance has allowed for the renovation of the Praslin Sea-moss Farmers Cooperative facility and provision of drying tables to more than seventy (70) sea-moss farmers.

CEO of Export Saint Lucia, Sunita Daniel, indicated that “Due to the passage of Tropical Storm Bret and higher than normal temperatures, the ability to meet the demand in export markets has been badly affected because of low supply.” Ms Daniel stated that “while this may be the case, the buyers that we have secured and the feedback from the Ministry of Agriculture on production levels augurs well for Saint Lucia and our farmers. The outlook for regional exports of bananas and other produce for the remainder of the year and 2024 is very positive.”

The export potential in the region for other manufactured goods is also very high. The CEO commented that “We also set out to market and find buyers for our manufactured goods. We have very strong interest and there are quite a few deals currently in negotiation for beverages, health and wellness products, condiments and value-added sea-moss products. Saint Lucia products, both agriculture and manufactured, are in high demand regionally and internationally. We look forward to finalizing a number of new contracts before the end of the year.”

Export Saint Lucia is very optimistic about the potential of the region as reachable and viable trade partners. The Northern Caribbean have emerged as a very high target market while traditional partners like Dominica, Trinidad and Barbados remain particularly strong.

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