the caribbean experience in protecting agricultural and agrifood products
DESCRIPTION
Presentation hold by John Malcolm Spence, Senior Coordinator, Intellectual Property Issues, CARICOM Secretariat, at the Brussels Briefing ‘Geography of food: reconnecting with origin in the food system’, organized by CTA on 15th May 2013. More on: http://brusselsbriefings.net/TRANSCRIPT
Brussels Briefing n. 31Geography of food: reconnecting with origin in the food system
15th May 2013http://brusselsbriefings.net
The Caribbean experience in protecting agricultural agrifood products
John Malcom Spence, CARICOM Secretariat
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
“The challenges of being very small”
Malcolm SpenceBrussels, May2013
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
Overview• The Caribbean – small, vulnerable, diverse• Some Caribbean specialty products• Small production volumes, limited market
power• The location link and its value• The IP framework and strategies• The Way Forward
What do we mean by “the Caribbean”?
Source: caribbean-on-line.com
Defining the Caribbean
• The 16 CARIFORUM States– Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados,
Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago
Size, vulnerability and diversity of the Caribbean
• Small States scattered over a large area• Small populations; small internal markets; and small
economies• High levels of government and public debt• Narrow production base and narrow range of exports • Hurricane belt and earthquake zone• Climate change and sea level rise• Cross-roads for people, cultures and cultural
expression
Some well-known Caribbean specialty agricultural products
• Cane sugars, rums and molasses– Barbados sugar (Muscovado) and rum– Demerara sugar and molasses– Dominican Macoucherie rum
• Bananas– Banano Dominicano, Gros Michel bananas
• Cocoa and cocoa products– Trinitario beans, Cocoa Ramones, Grenada
chocolate
Some well-known Caribbean specialty agricultural products
• Coffees– Café Valdesia, Café Barahona
• Peppers and condiments– Scotch Bonnet, Scorpion, Jerk seasoning
• Tobacco and cigars– Habanos, Cigarro Dominicano
• Cotton– Sea Island Cotton
Some well-known Caribbean specialty agricultural products
• Oils and spices– Nutmeg, mace, Bahamas Cascarilla Bark, Grenada
Nutmeg Oil, Dominican Bay Oil• Fine Starches– St. Vincent Arrowroot Starch
• Decorative and Craft products– Belizean Xate leaves, Dominican Kalinago
handicraft, Guyanese Tibisiri straw products,
Some well-known Caribbean specialty agricultural products
In spite of such a diversity of specialty products, few contribute significantly to Caribbean competitiveness and economic growth
What are the challenges highlighted by our limited experience?
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
Volumes and markets
• Most Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee supplied to Japan• Most Sea Island Cotton supplied to Italy• Demerara sugar supplied to several markets• Cuban and Dominican high-end cigars supplied to
diverse markets• Trinitario cocoa beans supplied to global commodity
market
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
The luxury goods market• The effect of global recession– Falling prices as consumers switch down (or switch
to fast fashion)– Small, marginal producers cease production– Increase in pest and diseases harboured in
abandoned areas. – Increasing production input costs (fertilizers, pest
control methods)
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
Producer organisations• Strong organisation and Government support – All
Jamaica Coffee Growers and the Coffee Industry Board; West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association; Guyana Sugar Company; Cuban growers
• Weak organisation with some Government (or inter-governmental) support – West Indies Sea Island Cotton Association
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
Understanding the location link• Abandoning the comfort of the industrial
revolution mindset• Seeing through the eyes of global consumers• Appreciating our cultural and agricultural
knowledge and environment• Recombining science and the arts to define
the terroir
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
Forecasting value differential• Defining value chains• Finding the contribution of location in the
value chain• Understanding strategies for ‘value capture’ to
move value along the chain back to producers• Valuing the spill-over effects
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
The IP Framework and Strategies• Inertia of the commercial legislative and
regulatory change process• Over-reliance on Government action by the
private sector• Limited understanding of the use of IP as
component of competitive strategy
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
The Way Forward1. Refine procedures for valuing specialty
products2. Strengthen producer organisations and
product definitions with location links3. Develop marketing and distribution strategies4. Develop defensive strategies using IP system
Source: www.cafemarkcumberland.com
Source: http://www.meredithtours.com/burnettours/images/blue_mountains.jpg
Source: www.countrytraders.com
Source: www.ineedcoffee.com
The Caribbean experience in protecting specialty agricultural products
Thank youfor your attention