The local manufacturing industry could expand if more consumers were to “buy Bahamian” said an official on trade matters.
Bahamian-owned Internet Company, Bahamasbiz.com, hosted its first annual trade and industry showcase of Bahamian goods which it hopes will break into the local and international markets.
“By participating in this exercise you have demonstrated your willingness to be leading Bahamian entrepreneurs,” said Minister of Trade and Industry Leslie Miller.
“The trade fair will not only encourage many Bahamians to buy locally made products, but also inform global distributors and wholesalers of the type of products that are manufactured here in The Bahamas,” Mr Miller added.
Bahamian consumers have long had a taste for imported goods, a preference that drives up the high cost of imports. Mr Miller admitted that the government could help to alleviate this problem by more effectively marketing locally produced commodities.
“We as the government are rather sensitive to the need to protect and to serve all aspects of our heritage. Hence your trade as business persons [and] the goods that you have manufactured are part of our Bahamian heritage,” said Mr Miller.
Additionally, the minister felt that the gap between local manufacturers and wholesalers and retailers has to be bridged. “My ministry is committed to working very closely with the private sector, thereby forging closer relationships in the areas of tourism, agriculture, fisheries, international trade, light industries, and Bahamian arts, to name a few.”
Mr Miller also pledged to encourage food stores and hotels to support local markets – a move that could drive down the inflated prices of goods and services in those two industries.
“We know that some of the food stores would put the Bahamian products on the bottom shelf [to hide them]. We also know that the hotels in this country refuse to carry Bahamian-made products and that is entirely wrong,” he said.
He expressed that local manufacturers lose when competing against foreign moguls. This, he said, would soon change.
“I am more than fully prepared with my staff to meet with all of those persons involved to see to it that you get a fair share and a break, in getting your product into these establishments here in The Bahamas,” Mr Miller added.
“The products that we produce in this country are as good or better than any imported products.”
An initiative to expand consumer awareness is a seminar Mr Miller disclosed his ministry will host next month. Local manufacturers will discuss some of the problems they face in the industry.
“I think we need to work together to sensitise the consumers in this country of becoming better citizens to enable you to grow and prosper and to enable you to produce products of the highest quality,” Mr Miller said.
By: BARRY WILLIAMS, The Nassau Guardian
