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Manufacturers and service providers who have products that are export ready are being encouraged to register for the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation’s (BIDC) Buyers Programme.

This is because the BIDC is seeking to “peer” export-ready businesses with 26 buyers from CARICOM, the United States and the United Kingdom, who will be in Barbados to participate in BIDC’s Buyers Programme.

The programme, which is being held in collaboration with the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association (BMA) and the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), will take place from Wednesday, June 5 to Friday, June 7.

According to Business Development Officer with the BIDC, Glendon Ashby, the Buyers Programme, now in its fourth year, is a supporting activity for the upcoming Barbados Manufacturers Exhibition (BMEX), slated for Friday, June 7, to Monday, June 10, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

“Some of our buyers are in the construction, tourism and food industries and we would like all the manufacturers in Barbados who have the capacity to export and to meet export regulations to take advantage of this opportunity.

“It is free to all manufacturers so they should be interested in seeing how best they can leverage this to get their products into the CARICOM, US and UK markets. This is a BIDC project, which means it is a government-led project. We want them to grow their businesses beyond this very small market in Barbados,” Mr. Ashby said.

He explained that the Buyers Programme presents “significant opportunities” for small and large exporting businesses as regional and international buyers would be exposed to a range of products and services produced in Barbados.

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This, he stressed, could facilitate new business opportunities for local manufacturers and service providers, who could also use the occasion to gain critical feedback from the buyers. 

“Entrepreneurs and established exporting businesses alike can benefit from contracts and successful relationships with regional and international buyers. Success in the Programme and an increase in exports can potentially result in employment growth, import replacement, export earnings and improvements in the industrial sector’s contributions to Barbados’ economic stability and transformation,” he reasoned.

Mr. Ashby added that manufacturers who may not get the opportunity to participate in the Buyers Programme would get the chance to engage with the buyers at BMEX.

While in Barbados, the buyers will have One-to-One meetings; attend a match-making session where buyers will be paired with relevant manufacturers and service companies, a product showcase and B2B meeting; as well as the opening ceremony of BMEX and Buyer’s Day.

Interested exporters and other business persons may contact the BIDC at 427-5350, or e-mail Glendon Ashby at gashby@bidc.org, for further information. 

shamkoe.pile@barbados.gov.bb

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