1. A publication of the Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN), formerly the CRNM
radeGEMS
www.crnm.org
A product of the Private Sector Outreach of the Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN), formerly the CRNM
TradeGEMS Interview – Mr Roston Taylor,
General Manager NAA (St. Lucia)
CARICOM-Costa Rica Free Trade
Agreement
The most recently concluded Free
Trade Agreement, signed on
March 2004 and based on the
CARICOM-Dominican Republic LP1: What do you trade and tell us a bit Hurricane Tomas in 2010, and 2011 is
Free Trade Agreement, has now about your company. gearing up to be a record year for export
been ratified by three Member sales.
States – Barbados, Guyana, and RT2: I am the General Manager of North
Trinidad and Tobago. Other American Assemblies Ltd. (NAA), a 19 LP: Which markets do you focus on at the
Member States are still in the year old independent manufacturer of moment, and plan to focus on in the
process of completing internal filters and traps for the cable television future?
measures to give effect to the industry. These products are used by the RT: Primarily now the United States
Agreement. Unlike the cable television industry to filter signals to market. The company plans to focus on
CARICOM/Dominican Republic their customers. NAA operates in The South America and Europe. We also
Free Trade Agreement, the Odsan Industrial Free Zone, so we do not manufacture products which are sold to
CARICOM/Costa Rica Free Trade focus on CARICOM as a priority market Costa Rica, but trade with Costa Rica has
Agreement provides for provisional based on the conditions for our freezone been disappointing. The government has
application between any incentive. The Company operates as an been slow in implementing the CARICOM-
CARICOM Member State and independent contractor affiliated with the Costa Rica trade agreement. These trade
Costa Rica once Costa Rica has US Company Arcom labs. We currently agreements are not beneficial to us where
ratified the Agreement and a employ 220 workers in St. Lucia and governments do not implement the
Member State has completed generate between US$5-10mn in export agreement. Brazil is another significant
internal procedures to give it effect. sales annually. Sales have been opportunity and we are unaware of what
maintained notwithstanding the impact of has been happening with discussions at
OTN JAMAICA OFFICE OTN BARBADOS OFFICE
2ND Floor, PCJ Building 1st Floor, Speedbird House
Trafalgar Road Independence Square
Kingston 10, JAMAICA Bridgetown BB11121, BARBADOS
Tel: (876) 908-4242 Fax: (876) 754-2998 Tel: (246) 430-1670 Fax: (246) 228-9528
Email: jamaica.office@crnm.org Email: barbados.office@crnm.org

2. CARICOM-COSTA RICA AGREEMENT
http://www.crnm.org/index.php?view=article&c
atid=44%3Abilaterals&id=53%3Acaricom-costa-
rica&option=com_content&Itemid=79
the CARICOM level for a trade agreement LP: How do you approach making money
with MERCOSUR. We have recently in your export markets?
applied for Free Zone and Fiscal
incentives for a new investment Worldwide RT: We exploit the fast turnaround time
Electronic Products Inc and plan to focus based on numerous factors including our
on exports to South America including proximity to the main airport here in St
Brazil. The new investment will expand Lucia and being nearshore to the USA.
employment by another 75 persons. We are also cost efficient and receive tax
benefits by being located in the Odsan
LP: What are the main factors influencing Industrial Free Zone. We also gain
Mr Roston Taylor
your market expansion plans? international business by offering to
reduce costs to our vendors through
RT: St. Lucia has a significant value providing “just-in-time” delivery services
proposition in terms of the delivery for their cable supplies. This negates the
turnaround time compared to Asian need for these cable companies to stock
suppliers of electronic components to the inventories of supplies, and incur costs
US cable Industry. However, air freight is including warehousing etc.
prohibitive in terms of cost. Government
bureaucracy also contributes to high LP: Do you wish to share any
business costs. However, if we relocate recommendations for international trade
our investment to cheaper locations in policy?
Asia, we fear patent infringements and ___________________________________________
1
longer delivery times. Also, here, we are RT: The slow pace of implementing trade Lincoln Price, OTN’s Private Sector Liaison
2
Roston Taylor
on same time zone with our customers in agreements is not helping us as globally
the USA, and this improves our customer integrated businesses. We must find a
relations and communication. Currently, way to implement these trade agreements
our partners are happy with the operation in a more effective way.
in St. Lucia and plan to outsource more
business to St. Lucia. ********
OTN JAMAICA OFFICE OTN BARBADOS OFFICE
2ND Floor, PCJ Building 1st Floor, Speedbird House
Trafalgar Road Independence Square
Kingston 10, JAMAICA Bridgetown BB11121, BARBADOS
Tel: (876) 908-4242 Fax: (876) 754-2998 Tel: (246) 430-1670 Fax: (246) 228-9528
Email: jamaica.office@crnm.org Email: barbados.office@crnm.org