This case study in the development of hot pepper marketing in the Caribbean covers the period from the
early 1980¿s to 2000. During the period several partnerships were forged among a host of public and
private research institutions, export agencies, private companies and farmer groups to solve major
constraints along the commodity chain.
The objective of the study is to examine these partnerships that over time have developed the hot pepper
commodity and taken advantage of specific niches in the marketplace in North
America and the United Kingdom as farmers of the Caribbean strive to be competitive in the face of trade
globalisation.
In this study, steps in the commodity chain approach are examined and the impact of partnerships assessed
in terms of their effects on the marketing of hot pepper. These steps include genetic improvement,
production systems, post harvest technologies and marketing. The partnerships are centred around the
Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the region¿s main agricultural
research and development Institute. The research work which is on-going has spanned eight Caribbean
countries but has been conducted mainly in Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica, Jamaica and Barbados.
It is hoped that the presentation of this case study from the Latin American and Caribbean region within
the Commodity Chain session of the GFAR 2000 Conference in Dresden will serve as a model for other
sub-regional fora to follow and allow research and development agencies to assess the impact that
partnerships can make on the marketing of agricultural commodities.