Mottley: Buy local, regional to avoid US tariffs

Chair of the Caribbean community, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley says the heads of state and heads of government of Caricom have been working to diversify themselves away from their dependence on imports, on which Caribbean economies are reliant.

Her statement was in response to US President Donald Trump’s announced ten-50 per cent import taxes on goods from every country except Russia.

Mottley said Caricom heads had already had some success in diversifying, especially in agriculture. She said they were working and would continue to work to become more self-sufficient but there was a long way to go.

She noted that many of the commodities found in supermarkets, malls, hardwares and electronic stores were either purchased directly from the US or passed through the US on their way to the Caribbean region. Read More