Earlier this week we told you about the event we've teasingly called the Jamaican Patties Peace Pact, which was worked out between Jamaica and Belize. It happened at a recent meeting of COTED, CARICOM's Council for Trade and Development. Jamaica's Minister of Industry Karl Samuda met with Belize Minister of State for Trade, Tracey Taeger-Panton to allow Jamaican meat and chicken patties to be imported into Belize. Apparently, this had been disallowed years ago, and the two ministers worked out the impasse. Taeger-Panton told us what was involved today:..
Hon. Tracy Taegar-Panton
"Belize reserve the right to ensure that our health and safety standards are maintained and that the proper risk assessment is done for any product before entering the Belize market. I think we have agree to continue our bilateral negotiations with Jamaica, because there are huge opportunities for trade between Belize and Jamaica. As you know CARICOM is in fact the only trading partner in where Belize has a trading surplus and so we want to continue to advance those opportunities for Belize."
The formal position is that Belize would not restrict the importation patties as long as our food and health protocols were satisfied and the necessary risk assessment completed. That risk assessment must be paid by the Jamaican exporter.
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