What Caribbean Factories Produce

Manufacturing Output by Sector

  • Metal Products
  • SectorKey Products
    Food & BeverageCanned fruits/vegetables, juices, rum, distilled spirits, sugar, coffee, cocoa, spices, tobacco
    Textiles & ApparelClothing, fabric, footwear (often in free zones: DR, Haiti, Jamaica)
    ElectronicsComponents, assembly (medical devices, consumer electronics)
    PharmaceuticalsGeneric drugs, medical devices (Puerto Rico, DR, Cuba)
    ChemicalsFertilizers, pesticides, industrial chemicals (Trinidad & Tobago – methanol, ammonia)
    PlasticsBottles, containers, packaging, toys
    Furniture, appliances, structural steel
    Paper & PackagingCardboard, boxes, pulp (limited)
    Building MaterialsCement (Caribbean Cement Co., Jamaica; Cemex DR), concrete, block

    Assembly Plants (Maquiladora-style)

    Concentrated in free trade zones (DR, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia): import components → assemble → re-export (mostly to US under CBTPA/CAFTA-DR). Apparel, medical devices, electronics.

    Drivers

    • Preferential US market access (CBI, CAFTA-DR, CBTPA)
    • Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act
    • Lower labor costs, tax holidays
    • Challenges: energy cost, scale, skills, logistics, climate risk
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