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/

1. Brussels Briefing n. 31
Geography of food: reconnecting with origin in the food system
15th May 2013
http://brusselsbriefings.net
The Caribbean experience in protecting agricultural
agrifood products
John Malcom Spence, CARICOM Secretariat

2. The Caribbean experience in
protecting specialty
agricultural products
“The challenges of being very small”
Malcolm Spence
Brussels, May2013

3. 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

4. What do we mean by “the Caribbean”?
Source: caribbean-on-line.com

5. Defining the Caribbean
• The 16 CARIFORUM States
– Antigua and Barbuda, the
Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Domi
nican
Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St.
Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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,

10. 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?

11. 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

12. 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)

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. The Caribbean experience in protecting
specialty agricultural products
The Way Forward
1. Refine procedures for valuing specialty
products
2. Strengthen producer organisations and
product definitions with location links
3. Develop marketing and distribution
strategies
4. Develop defensive strategies using IP system

18. Source: www.cafemarkcumberland.com

19. Source: http://www.meredithtours.com/burnettours/images/blue_mountains.jpg

20. Source: www.countrytraders.com

21. Source: www.ineedcoffee.com

22. The Caribbean experience in protecting
specialty agricultural products
Thank you
for your attention
malcolm.spence@crnm.org