TABLE 4. Regional trade analysis by crop/food product.


SITC COMMODITY -COUNTRY -EXPORTS(S) IMPORTS(S) -- YEAR
02 Dairy Products Antigua ......- ... .... 1593 ...... 1978
 and Eggs Barbados ...-.. ...... 5;389 ....... 1978
 BVI ........... 6 ............ 500 ....... *1976
 Dominica .....1,351 ........ 1978
 Jamaica ------- 23,839 -...- 1980
 Montserrat .... ....... 294 .. 1978
 St Lucia ........ 89 -... .......... 2;851 ........1980
 St Vincent ...... 892 ..... 1976
 Trinidad/T -- ----------- 59,882 -.- -----1981
 USVI .... .......... --- ----- --- 5.. .. 73 ..... 1978
$ = Thousands of U.S. Dollars
Source: United Nations Annual Statistical Country Reports, 1981




 TABLE 5. The unemployment in selected islands.

 COUNTRY 1970 1981


 ANTIGUA NA NA

 BARBADOS 13% 14%

 DOMINICA 13% 15%

 ST. LUCIA 15% 30%

 ST. VINCENT 20% 30%

 ST. KITTS/NEVIS 12% 23%

 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 24% NA

 B. I. 9% NA

 C. 5. V. I. NA 6.5%

 JAMAICA 25% 27%

 Sources: The Young Unemployed Caribbean Development Problem, p. 38-39.
 Latin America and Caribbean Contemporary Record




 TABLE 6. Characteristics of the transportation systems of Eastern Caribbean
 islands.

 VESSELS @
 ROAD WATER BERTHING
 COUNTRY (MILES) ..AIRPORTS .....PORT(S) ...... FACILITY
 ANTIGUA 238 1 1

 BARBADOS 1,000 1 1 8

 B. V. I. 50 1 1

 DOMINICA 467 2 2

 GRENADA 600 2 1 2

 ST KITTS/NEVIS 123 2 4

 ST LUCIA 500 2 2 6

 ST VINCENT 633 1 1 2

 TRINIDAD/TOBAGO 4,906 1 3 8

 U. S. V. I. 532 2 7



 VOL. XX-PROCEEDINGS of the CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY


 Another major food commodity whose local production is ex-
ceeded by local demand falls in the category of dairy products
and eggs (Table 4). Nearly $60 million of Trinidad and Tobago's
imports went to buying dairy products and eggs in 1981. A year
earlier, Jamaica had spent almost $24 million and St. Lucia spent
about $3 million importing the same commodity. The demand
for this commodity by other islands is, as reflected in the table,
quite substantial.
 In fact, what has been demonstrated above, in respect to cereals,
meat, dairy products and eggs, can be said of many other food
commodities. Trade statistics show that many islands have not been
able to satisfy demand for a variety of commodities in their local
markets. Other commodities commanding substantial demand are
fish, vegetable oil, animal fat, sugar, prepared honey, fruits,
vegetables, coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, beverages and tobacco. Tables
for these commodities can be found in the appendices.

Island-to-Mainland Markets. The mainland markets provide
vital outlets for the main cash crops of islands of the Eastern
Caribbean. These markets have traditionally been invaluable to
the cash crop commodities, largely due to the much bigger size of
the mainland economies and to the fact that some of these im-
porting economies can not produce tropical crops such as coffee,
sugarcane, bananas, and citrus fruits.
 The principal mainland markets are the United States of
America and member nations of the European Common Com-
munity (ECC). For instance, in 1981, nearly 44% of the total ex-
ports from St. Kitts/Nevis went to the U.S.A., 30% to the ECC
countries, and only 12% was sold to members of the Caribbean
Common Market (CARICOM). Likewise for Trinidad and
Tobago, 53% of its total exports went to the U.S.A. that same
year.
 As the foregoing analysis of the market structures for the
islands of the Eastern Caribbean has demonstrated, demand does
exist in the domestic sector of their markets as well as in external
sectors.

Natural Resources of the Eastern Caribbean Islands
 In addition to the existence of demand for food and other
agricultural produce, another major factor in developing effective
marketing strategies for the islands of the Eastern Caribbean is
the existence of natural resources within the islands to support
the demand.
 In the Eastern Caribbean, many islands are endowed with fine
climate for agricultural production. The tropical temperature and
rainfall, coupled with substantial arable land found in many
islands of the Eastern Caribbean, enhance the region's capacity to
produce agricultural crops. Jamaica, for instance, has had at one
time about one and a half million acres of land under agricultural
production. Other islands like Dominica, Barbados, Trinidad
and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and St. Kitts/Nevis have
substantial arable agricultural land.

Labor Supply for Agricultural Production in the
Eastern Caribbean
 Effective food marketing strategies have to consider the pro-
duction technology utilized in the agricultural industry. This is
particularly significant because the technology will influence the
prices and competitiveness of the food products. In the Eastern
Caribbean, the abundant availability of labor at world com-
petitive costs provides an opportunity to produce food and other
agricultural products on market competitive terms.
 An indicator of the cost of labor in an economy is the level of
unemployment. In the Eastern Caribbean unemployment may
run as high as 30% in some islands. Table 5 provides some idea of
the official rate of unemployment in selected islands of the


region.


273