From Kaieteur News

Regional rum producers and their representative association have been lauded by the Trinidad Minister of Trade and Industry for their efforts to improve the global competitiveness of their products.

Caribbean rum producers have vowed to continue pressure on the US over a controversial subsidy to their own producers.

Minister of Trade in Trinidad and Tobago, Paula Gopee-Scoon, made the remarks at the opening of a technical workshop involving quality officials from 14 rum producers across the region. They were meeting in the twin-island Republic, this week.

Minister Gopee-Scoon said, “The development and marketing of the Authentic Caribbean Rum Marque in Europe, North America and Canada is one of several initiatives which will cement a place for Caribbean rum among premium alcoholic beverages worldwide”.

This view was echoed by Chairman of Angostura, Dr. Ralph Balgobin, who said that the Authentic Caribbean Rum Marque program had provided a vision of where to take the Caribbean rum industry, and confirmed Angostura’s support for it.

Also raised were the contribution of the rum sector as the major agro-based export sector in the Caribbean and a substantial earner of foreign exchange and tax revenue as well as a large employer.

It was disclosed that pressure will continue to be brought by WIRSPA on the issue of subsidies provided through the US tax remittances to its producers.

Organised by the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) and facilitated by Angostura, the workshop was held at the Angostura distillery.

Companies from Antigua, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Suriname participated in the workshop.

“We’re happy to lend a helping hand,” said Robert Wong, CEO of Angostura. “It’s what distinguishes WIRSPA and the rum sector, we really work closely together on improving quality and introducing best practice, we’re a bit of a family that way”.

“Learning from each other is a core element of our knowledge sharing activity, as is the transferring of skills from our larger to our smaller less capable producers,” said Dr. Frank Ward, chairman of WIRSPA, “and we’re grateful to CARIFORUM governments and to the European Union for providing support to make these initiatives possible.”

“It’s especially important for us as exporters of premium rums to stay ahead of the curve on quality, responding both to increasing regulation as well as demands from our customers.”

Even more critically, he noted, “We’re competing in an uneven environment where some competitors are able to produce rums at heavily subsidised rates and sell this rum into the market, thus placing us at a serious disadvantage. The use of the US Cover Over remittances for this purpose is seriously impacting our competitiveness in the US market and affecting the profitability of the entire sector.”

Ward insisted that rum is the region’s premier agro-based export and is a significant export earner and employer. “Our governments are well aware of this contribution to the regional economy and that is why they are keen to see a resolution of this issue that is fair to all.”

WIRSPA is an association that represents distillers from across the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM)

The Authentic Caribbean Rum (ACR) Marque was developed as a symbol of authenticity, provenance and quality for rums within the WIRSPA family.

For more on this story go to: http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2016/09/17/caribbean-rum-producers-to-continue-pressure-on-us-over-subsidies/