BTFL head urges action to boost overseas sales for local businesses

Barbadian entrepreneurs continue to face significant challenges when trying to sell their products to international customers, with cross-border transactions remaining a major obstacle to business growth.

That concern has been raised by General Manager of the Barbados Trust Fund Limited (BTFL), Jerry Amos, who called for urgent action to improve payment and logistics systems to enable locally made products to reach global markets more easily.

“There’s a natural challenge for entrepreneurs in Barbados… If someone comes here today, sees a product and likes it, they may want to purchase it later online, but we have a problem with that,” Amos said. “Especially if the person is overseas. We need to solve that cross-border transaction issue as a matter of urgency.”

General Manager of the Barbados Trust Fund Limited, Jerry Amos

He highlighted the case of an artisan who creates items using glass found on local beaches. While the products have generated strong interest from international visitors, the artisan struggles to convert this interest into sales due to limited e-commerce infrastructure and payment processing difficulties.

Amos was speaking at the Manufacturing and Services Trade Fair and Expo held at Weymouth Pasture, St Michael, on Saturday. The event marked the latest stop in what BTFL hopes will become a year-round travelling showcase of Barbadian micro and small businesses.

Hosted in collaboration with the Office of the Supervisor of Insolvency, it featured a variety of vendors offering everything from handmade skincare and hair oils to traditional Barbadian cuisine, blended juices, and crafts.

The BTFL head praised the innovation and quality of local entrepreneurs and urged the public to continue supporting homegrown talent.

He also expressed gratitude to Minister of Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, for facilitating the series of outreach events.

“This is part of a legacy project,” he said. “Last year, during the Cricket World Cup, we closed Broad Street for a similar showcase. Since then, we’ve taken this expo across the island with about three or four stops so far, and we’ll be in St George in August and St James later this year.”

Amos added that the BTFL is also working to help entrepreneurs scale up to meet regional and international demand.

He referenced a recent showcase involving candle makers, which exposed limitations in production capacity.

“We are dealing with a micro class, people making 100 candles, and they’re talking 1,000 to 2,000 candles for regional distribution. It was a brilliant opportunity, but we must find ways to help people scale up,” he said.

Among the booths featured at Saturday’s expo was Community Legal Services (CLS), which offered free legal guidance to members of the public as part of its ongoing outreach.

The CLS booth at the trade fair and expo.

CLS representative Colleen Odle said the department aims to raise awareness of the types of assistance available to individuals who cannot afford private legal representation.

“Our services include all matters involving minors; serious criminal matters such as rape, murder, and manslaughter; and family law matters like maintenance and property settlements,” she shared.

Those seeking help must book an interview and demonstrate that they are of “insufficient means” to retain private legal counsel, Odle said.

The expo also formed part of wider national efforts to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and was held one day after the global observance of World MSME Day.

Amos noted that MSMEs account for roughly 93 per cent of businesses in Barbados and continue to serve as a pillar of the national economy.

“We’re seeing that things are improving in the country,” he said. “People are coming out, they’re spending, and they’re supporting entrepreneurs. That’s what this is all about.” (SM)