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04/27/2004

Press Release

C-Tradecom Project Boosts OECS' Ability To Develop Standards For Trade

Countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are about to benefit from a special trade project that will assist them to meet some of the challenges of engaging in international trade.

Led by two consultants, Dr. Henrik Nielsen, who specializes in metrology (the science of measures) and Mr. Bertrand Harnanan, a regional standards consultant, the project will specifically support the region's efforts to meet international standards.

Outlining the critical nature of the project which is funded by United States Agency for International Development, through the Caribbean Trade and Competitiveness Program (C-TRADECOM), Mr. Harnanan noted that “it is important that if countries are going to be able to participate in regional and international trade they should have proper infrastructure in place in terms of equipment, procedures, trained staff and government support.”

Dr. Nielsen, who emphasized the importance of measures and test procedures in this process, added “if you want to trade with another country, it would be to your advantage if you can measure, test and certify goods in your country, ship them to the importing country and have that country trust your standards, and not insist that they be tested again.

“If you are going to trade with other countries”, he added, “you must put in place metrology systems to ensure that if you say something is 100 kilograms when it gets to that country it is what you said it is.” He noted that this was particularly critical in a region where a lot of the export goods were of a perishable nature and time was of the essence in ensuring that fresh products were delivered to consumers in export markets on a very timely basis.

The expert concluded that for countries to accept tests carried out in the region, countries would have to meet benchmarks set by the International Standards Organization and that the C-TRADECOM initiative was critical in this respect, since it would assist countries in meeting the required standards.

Speaking on the current state of trading practices in the region, Mr. Harnanan said there is still a lot of work to be done before countries can meet those standards. “We now have to out the facilities in place, train staff, acquire and maintain the equipment and then seek recognition and acceptance of test reports.”

It is anticipated that the project will enable the countries involved to address some of the key constraints in meeting international standards and will proceed in two phases, assessment and implementation. The first phase will begin with several information gathering exercises including a review of legislation and policy documents related to metrology functions in all the OECS countries and an assessment of existing metrology equipment and standard weights and measures in counties as required.

Based on the information the consultants will advise on the layout of metrology laboratories in countries as required; identify critical additional equipment and standard weights and measures required for the establishment of metrology laboratories and agree on a shortlist of equipment to be purchased in collaboration with OECS standards officials.

During the second phase of their remit, the consultants will assist staff of the Bureaus of Standards to install, commission and run calibration checks on weighing and measuring equipment in their laboratories. The project will also train staff of the bureaus to conduct routine trouble shooting and maintenance of the equipment and in the testing and verification of weighing and measuring equipment used in trade.

C-TRADECOM is working closely with the Caribbean Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), the regional body mandated to promote the harmonization of metrology standards within the Caribbean Community in carrying out this activity.

For further information contact Patrick Knight @ pknight@carana.com