A Buy Dominica Supercentre, which sells Dominican products exclusively, could soon be established in the French neighboring islands.
This is according to the President of the Dominica Manufacturing Association (DMA) Severin McKenzie.
Members of the DMA met with the government of Dominica in December 2016 whereby they were asked to make recommendations to boost the manufacturing sector. The establishment of a Buy Dominica Supercentre in the French islands was one of the recommendations submitted on February 8, 2017.
“We are working towards the establishment of the first Buy Dominica Shop in one of the neighboring French islands where we are hoping that following on what we have established in the Roseau Market where we will have an outlet to sell exclusively Dominican products,” McKenzie stated.
However, he noted that the quality of some of Dominica’s products is hindering the establishment of this supercentre.
“We have a challenge with the quality of our products and the fact that the French authorities have some rigid requirements as far as standards are concerned,” he stated.
He said the goods which are expected to be exported must be certified by the French authorities.
McKenzie said the association will have to solicit help from Dominica Bureau of Standards to certify the required goods.
“With that we are hoping to build the Nature Island brand and this is something that we want to take up when a product receives this certification of the nature island standard of excellence,” he remarked.
Meantime, McKenzie added that the association has also been working collaboratively with the Ministry of Finance.
“We are working with the Ministry of Finance towards putting a mechanism in place for technical support which would be the training of technicians who will be capable to maintaining and repairing machinery for the manufacturing sector,” he said.
A similar establishment was opened in Roseau in 2015 and is now located at the Roseau Market.
Instead of a whole new building why not try to partner with an established supercentre for a piece of their space; a Buy Dominica Corner. This may be cheaper initially. You won’t have to think of staffing etc.
great idea… really great idea. this is like opening a direct market to Europe…. begin that the neighboring Islands are French countries.
And it comes hot on the heels of the PM’s global ‘Buy Dominica Passports campaign. Awesome !
What is wrong with Dominicans? Go back to the rural areas on weekends and plant your food? Are you all afraid of the soil?
Please make it available for those in Amerika!
Will there be a passport booth too? Seeing how things have been going.
Can someone tell what happened to the local company making the paper products, NIPP Inc? I’m not hearing anything about them.
That’s good Dominica is still producing things to sell on the foreign market because the way Skerrit them acting and talking they convinced us and the world that the ONLY thing we could sell on a foreign market was passport, whether in Morocco, on Dominica Trade House, Malaysia, Syria, Iran and others. I doubt Skerrit will support this initiative because he really wants to give people the impression that we cannot export anything except passport to crooks and criminals that will buy in secret and cut secret deals with.
O..K. but I think it is only fair that we reciprocate and let our neighbours bring in – and sell tjheir good here also, duty free. Wasn’t that the intention of the EPA anyway? I’m dying for decent bread,. a croisant , a pain au chocolat and a wide selection of groceries and merchandise from the EU. Our country is badly starved of choice at reasonable prices. We resemble an East European country behind the iron curtain.
HOw will that affect the availability of those goods found at the local branch? Also who will be responsible for the french stores?
Good news economic growth, that’s the right thing for the farmers so they don’t have to beg the government for any thing. In the African tradition of Swahili Asante.