A number of local businesses are now more knowledgeable when it comes to importing and exporting.

The new-found knowledge came on Monday July 21, thanks to a workshop put on by Invest SVG and dubbed ‘Surviving the Trade Jungle: Import and Export Procedures Made Easy”.{{more}}

The workshop, which was held at Invest SVG’s conference room located in the Bank of St Vincent and the Grenadines (BOSVG) building on Granby Street saw participation from a number of business people including people from the arts and craft industry, the hotel and tourism industry, the agro-processing business and the food and beverage industry.

The participants were schooled on the policies and procedures of the Customs and Excise Department by Irwina Phills of the Customs and Excise Department while they received tips on licensing procedures by the Ministry of Trade’s Janice King.

There was also a session on public health procedures and policies which was done by Carlos Wilson of the Public Health Department while Ezra Ledger of the SVG Bureau of Standards did a session on packaging and labeling.

Presentations were also made by executive director of Invest SVG Bernadette Ambrose-Black, chairman of Invest SVG and director of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Chamber of Industry and Commerce Anthony Regisford and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture Senator Luke Browne.

Ambrose-Black said that the workshop was expected to aid participants in surviving, “the trade jungle” as she stressed that the lifeblood of the global market is trade.

“Trade policies, the ease of doing business as it relates to exporting and importing, in today’s ‘flat world’….are an issue of utmost concern to developing countries because these policies and activities will dictate the terms on which Least Developed Countries (LDCs), such as ours, will be integrated into the global economy”, said Ambrose-Black.

Also addressing the gathering, Senator Luke Browne, who delivered the feature address said that it was important to make importing and exporting an easy process as these things drive the economy.

He said that people attending the workshop would be given “Rambo like skills” that would help them maneuver the trade jungle.

The workshop was held as part of Invest SVG’s initiative geared at increasing the country’s exports.