Craft industry faces challenge from overseas imports

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - UNFAIR business practices hampering the local craft market must come to an end, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas said yesterday (May 12) on his weekly “Ask the PM” radio programme. 

Responding to a caller who informed the Prime Minister that she was upset with a number vendors in the St. Kitts-Nevis tourism market importing pottery from overseas and then selling it as locally made craft, Douglas said that he was aware of the issue and took it very seriously. 

“At this time when we realise we must be more reliant upon ourselves, I really want to empathise with this caller about the state of the craft industry. We are very concerned about this as a government.

“We have seen a lot of craft being imported from China, and then some labelling by way of painting is put on them saying it is made in St. Kitts and Nevis. This is not good,” he said. 

The PM was quick to clarify that CARICOM nationals selling craft in St. Kitts-Nevis must be allowed to do so, as the region continues to integrate the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME). 

“Remember we are promoting our Caribbean as a single entity, a single trading bloc, and so one is supposed to be able to move goods and services freely within the Caribbean region as part of our own fraternity among our Caribbean brothers and sisters. 

“It is the craft that is coming in from China, Indonesia and all over the world…that is really the crime,” Douglas said.

To prevent mass produced crafts from overseas flooding the local market and driving out the more expensive, handcrafted local goods, Douglas said consultations with the relevant stakeholders must be held. 

“These are the areas that we need to do some really serious soul searching on. I give a commitment that I will take up this with the Ministry of Tourism and see how we can really discourage, as much as possible, craft which is not from within the Caribbean region coming into our country.”

Apart from preventing harmful overseas competition, the PM said that the government would continue to host training workshops for local artisans at The Craft House.

Currently, a very successful pottery workshop conducted by an artisan out of St. Lucia, Adam Azaire, is being held at The Craft House with assistance from the Basic Needs Trust Fund, and has produced over 600 pieces of handmade, local pottery. 

Douglas said that his government would continue to provide these types of training opportunities so as to make local craft competitive in the global tourism market.