COTED, earlier this month, supported the recommendation from the CARICOM Secretariat that the list of products from Brazil to be accorded preferential access to the St Kitts and Nevis’ market and the agreement providing for St Kitts and Nevis to accede to the Guyana-Brazil Partial Scope Agreement be approved in accordance with article 80 of the Revised Treaty. 

This has cleared the way for the exchange of signatures involving St Kitts and Nevis, Brazil and Guyana. 

Dr. Harris added, “It has been a long and time consuming exercise.  I want to place on record my Ministry’s strongest expression of appreciation to the government of Guyana and Brazil, the CARICOM Secretariat, the Office of Trade Negotiations and the many persons and entities that cooperated with us to bring this accession agreement to this point of near finality”.

Dr Harris spelt out the importance of the agreement to the workers this way “The partial scope agreement when signed, will provide our manufacturing sector in particular access to the largest economy in Latin America.  This preferential access will increase sales and secure the jobs of many of our workers on our Industrial Estate”.