ROSE HALL, St James — Executive director of the International Trade Centre (ITC) Pamela Coke-Hamilton has suggested that the Caribbean consider exporting potable water to other countries that are in need.

The ITC is a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, dedicated to helping small businesses of developing countries trade.

“Water is going to be where the new wars are. Nobody is talking about it but it’s frightening. We are surrounded by water. To what extent have we considered becoming a net exporter of water? Has anybody considered the opportunities there?” asked Coke-Hamilton.

She was addressing day two of the three-day Caribbean Investment Forum being held in Montego Bay on the topic of ‘Trade Resilience in a Fragmenting World: A Blueprint for the Caribbean’.

Coke-Hamilton’s suggestion comes at a time when Jamaica is having water distribution challenges brought on by drought in sections of the country.

She suggested desalination as an option for sourcing the commodity. However, this process of filtering salt from seawater is an expensive procedure because of the amount of electricity needed to operate a plant.

“This is precisely the point. We tend to operate in silos and we tend to see ideas in silos. This is why we need to bring our energy costs down. Because, if we bring our energy cost down, we are then able to credibly look at the desalination opportunities and see whether they would work. I am not saying that they would work. What I am saying is that if we have an opportunity to do that and be able to create that — potential export — then, it is a no-brainer,” argued Coke-Hamilton.

She said research is needed on such a proposal before it is dismissed.

“We haven’t done the research. We have simply said, ‘Oh, it is too expensive.’ Have we looked at what would happen if we lower significantly [the cost of electricity] using alternative energy methods — the hydro, the solar, the wind. If there is a zero cost factor on the energy, will that enable us to be able to do what we want to?” she posited.

She welcomed the Government’s decision not to renew the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd’s licence in its current form when it expires in July 2027, arguing that this will allow other companies to produce electricity at a reduced rate by using alternative methods.

“If we continue in a monopolistic situation, we will not be competitive. We are, literally, locking our economy into something that will basically condemn us to penury,” argued Coke-Hamilton.