There were reports yesterday on www.just-drinks.com that 16 Caribbean nations are in discussions with the EU to boost rum exports by the year 2008.The site wrote:

The spirit is already the eastern Caribbean’s largest export to the EU, (11% of sales - worth around €320m in 2003), with the European Investment Bank having a €70m lending programme for Caribbean rum.

Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago will be involved in the talks.

EU trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said he wanted to “boost” existing “long-standing” commercial ties.

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