Minister of Trade, Industry and Commerce, George Hutson
A Government Minister is calling on all sectors to pool their resources to assist in the “sustainable development” of the local craft industry.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Commerce, George Hutson, said the sector made a substantial contribution to the island’s gross domestic product (GDP) “both in terms of employment and in foreign exchange earnings”. Therefore, when looking for gifts, persons should consider “uniquely designed Caribbean craft items” as presents instead of imported gifts, he added.
The Minister made these observations while addressing awardees and exhibitors attending the 15th Caribbean Gift and Craft Show’s Best of Show awards ceremony held at the Sherbourne Conference Centre recently. The show was put on by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), a regional trade and investment organisation of CARIFORUM.
Mr. Hutson also appealed to executives in both the public and private sectors to furnish their offices with crafted furnishings, adding: “The Government of Barbados recognises the importance of small and micro enterprises to our nation-building. We believe that opportunities must be created for small and micro businesses to make a greater contribution and to share in the economic development of our country.”