BY FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribuneemedia.net

AGRICULTURE and Marine Resources Minister Jomo Campbell said The Bahamas is stepping up negotiations with the United States to reduce its new 12.5 percent tariff, with the government is hoping to get the country back to the 10 percent rate that applied before July 24.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Campbell said there has been “a lot of back and forth” on the issue, with more than 2,100 meetings being held involving more than 60 countries affected by the US tariff measures.

“The Bahamas isn't affected by this alone,” Mr Campbell said yesterday, pointing to ongoing efforts by Minister of Economic Affairs Jerome Fitzgerald, Minister for Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell and Prime Minister Philip Davis KC.

He said Mr Davis has previously held meetings with US ambassador Herschel Walker on the matter, while the government has also announced meetings with members of the fishing community.

Mr Campbell said the government is also hoping to meet with the US ambassador again, subject to his schedule, to present The Bahamas' position on the way forward.

“We will also be seeking a meeting with him in order to send our projected platform as to the way forward to get us back, hopefully, to the 10 percent that we were prior to 24th of July,” he said.

The 12.5 percent tariff took effect on July 24, with the Davis administration previously seeking an exemption for Bahamian crawfish and stone crab exports as the country prepared for the opening of the crawfish season.

The government had also been seeking to address the US position that led to The Bahamas receiving the higher tariff rate, after Washington cited concerns over the country's prohibition and enforcement of a ban on imports produced using forced labour.

Mr Campbell said the Bahamas is not alone in dealing with the US measures, noting that more than 60 countries are involved in the wider discussions.

His comments indicate that the government has not yet secured a reduction or exemption, with diplomatic and trade discussions continuing as officials work to establish the terms for a lower tariff burden on Bahamian exports.

The issue is particularly significant for the fisheries sector, with the United States serving as a major market for Bahamian seafood exports and crawfish and stone crab among the products the government has specifically sought to exempt from the new tariff.