Jamaica is looking to Guyana as a potential source for coconut products, according to Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Kathy Smith.
Smith, along with her team at the GCCI, recently met with Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, and business stakeholders, during which several areas were discussed.
Smith said the GCCI’s engagement with Jamaica also touched on alternative financing for small businesses, potential partnerships in housing, and export opportunities for Guyanese producers.
“Prime Minister also discussed looking to Guyana for coconut because, of course, you know, when you go to Jamaica, the sand, sea and the sun and somebody wants a coconut in their hand, but they don’t have the land space like Guyana,” Smith said.
She said Guyana’s growing coconut production could create opportunities for exports to Jamaica.
“So since we are doing that, we are planting thousands of coconut trees, and we’re reaping, and we can export whether it’s oil, whether it’s the coconut itself,” Smith said.
Smith said the discussions also focused on ways to create market access for Guyanese micro, small and medium-sized enterprises producing value-added products.
“And of course we look at ways where our micro, small, medium-sized enterprises who are producing their sauces, their chips, their oils and so on, to get them on shelves in the Jamaican supermarket,” she said.
According to Smith, the engagement with Jamaica was part of the GCCI’s wider push to connect Guyanese businesses with regional opportunities as the country experiences rapid economic growth and increased foreign investment.
She said the meeting also included Guyanese businesses that are already exporting large quantities of products to Jamaica, along with others interested in entering that market.
The GCCI President noted that Jamaica has been a longstanding partner of Guyana, particularly in the financial sector.
