MendozaDonna Ortega, News EditorVenezuela is making a bid to strengthen relationships in two-way trade with Jamaica.
Exploration of the possibility of joint ventures is a priority as is facilitating communication between the relevant sectors. According to Venezuelan Ambassador to Jamaica, Rocio Maneiro, "The best way was to create an environment for the private sectors of both countries to begin to talk in a constructive way."
Francisco Mendoza, president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Exporters, as he outlined details of a trade mission scheduled for later this month, stressed at a press conference in Kingston on March 2, that, "It is not one-way trade. It is bilateral trade."
According to Mr. Mendoza, the Chamber has launched a programme for 2001 which involves visiting neighbouring countries including Trinidad & Tobago. In Kingston he met with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, the Jamaica Manufacturers Asso-ciation, JAMPRO and the Jamaica Exporters Association in preparation for a trade mission, the first in several years, to come to Jamaica.
Jamaica already imports oil from Venezuela under the San Jose agreement though which Venezuela offers special financing conditions to signatory oil buying countries.
According to preliminary figures from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, the current level of import trade with Venezuela between January to September 2000 is US$88,964,692.
ITEMS IMPORTED VALUE
Oil/Fuel US$77, 755,284
Manufactured
Goods US$6, 114,793
Manufactured
Articles US$1, 931,570
Chemicals US$1, 127,056
Crude
Material US$851,000
Machinery US$791,178
Food US$395,000
The value of Jamaica's domestic export for 2000 between January to September (preliminary) was US$864,369. For the fiscal year 1999 the value of imports was US$46,581,344 of which fuel was US$35,773,003 and the value of the domestic exports was US$741,016.
The CARICOM/Venezuela Trade and Investment Agree-ment came into effect in January 1993 to open up trade in products such as craft items, swim and activewear, beer, rum, paints and confectionery.
Advantage
Jamaica has not taken advantage of the CARICOM/Vene-zuela Agreement up to now.
But the Venezuelan Ambas-sador is confident that the conditions are right and the political will exists. Furthermore, "Now we have the private sectors (of both countries) talking to each other," she told Sunday Business.
Asked what, were the inhibitors to the further development of trade and what could be done to eliminate them, a spokesman from the Jamaica Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Friday that, "the development of trade between Jamaica and Venzuela should be facilitated once the Government of Venezuela has addressed the concerns expressed by our private sector, and (once) our private sector has a better understanding of the Venezuelan laws empowering them to establish business entities within the country."
The spokesman said that Jamaica has tried on numerous occasions to take advantage of the Agreement, "but has been unable to penetrate this market due to many unseen problems, such as the Venezuelan registration process and other bureaucratic requirements involved in exporting to the Venezuelan market."
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Mr. Mendoza at a meeting on March 2 with Foreign Trade Minister Anthony Hylton, advised that all efforts would be made to have the concerns addressed.
The Ministry said they understood from Mr. Mendoza that the problems being experienced by the Jamaican private sector/exporters were due to language barriers resulting in translation problems and a misunderstanding of the Venezuelan registration process. Based on this, Mr. Hylton committed to encourage private sector groups to do business with Venezuela.
Mr. Mendoza is suggesting that a Jamaica Trade Mission visit Venezuela and in their preparations for such a visit, the Venezuela Exporters Association, and other private sector organisations, would host a two-day seminar to educate the members of the Trade Mission on Venezuelan marketing techniques and on how to establish a business within Venezuela.
Visit
It is likely that the visit will take place some time in September of this year. However, ahead of that, by March 27, representatives of 25 companies are scheduled to arrive in Kingston to showcase their products ranging from frozen food, fresh fruit, woodwork, handicraft, construction material, roofing, tiles, bathroom fixtures, batteries, auto parts and aluminium products including wheels. The delegation will include advisors who will guide local businessmen on the standards and registration requirements for a range of food products.
At the press conference Mr. Mendoza told journalists that he was encouraging Jamaican businessmen not to "be afraid of the registration requirements that we in Venezuela ask for human consumption items.
"There may have been some misunderstanding as to what these requirements are, but these requirements, I am sure do not differ from what Jamaican authorities request for registration."
Last year Venezuela imported US$12 billion in goods and there "should be a place for Jamaican products in that," Mr. Mendoza said.
