KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica Trade and Investment Promotions agency (JAMPRO) will be leading a delegation of six companies to the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Flavors trade exhibition in Cali, Colombia. The three-day trade mission will begin today, September 3, JAMPRO said in a release.

According to JAMPRO, LAC Flavors is one of the key food and beverage business forums in the region, generating more than US$990 million in transactions and 17,000 business meetings over the past 10 years.

This year’s participating companies from Jamaica, PA Benjamin, Jamaica Teas, Carita Jamaica and Tijule Company Limited, will have the opportunity to meet with global buyers at the event and create international business relationships, JAMPRO said.

The delegation will also attend a workshop where agencies from the region will share their experiences in developing digital platforms for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME’s) who want to increase their exports.

JAMPRO’s President, Diane Edwards, said that the Agency wanted to see more Jamaican manufacturers exporting to regional markets to further diversify their international reach and decrease the reliance on markets like the USA, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

“The LAC region has a population of approximately 637 million; it is time for Jamaican exporters to look seriously at this opportunity and JAMPRO is ready to work with them to penetrate this market. We want to see Jamaica’s economy growing sustainably, therefore we believe that by diversifying our export markets and engaging more of our neighbouring countries for trade opportunities, our manufacturers and exporters will have increased outlets for their products to grow their export sales and expand their brands,” she was quoted as saying.

LAC Flavors 2019 is organised by the Inter-American Development Bank , through ConnectAmericas, in collaboration with ProColombia, the Colombian government’s export promotion agency, Colombia Productiva, Agro Exporta, the Government of Valle del Cauca, the Municipality of Santiago de Cali, and the Cali Chamber of Commerce.