Find Industry and Manufacturing expertise in St Kitts and Nevis

The industrial sector in St Kitts and Nevis contributes approximately 23.3% towards GDP (CIA World Factbook, 2012). The manufacturing sector plays a fairly small role in the economy of St Kitts and Nevis, with the majority of revenue brought in by tourism. Manufacturing makes up roughly one quarter of the industrial sector as a whole, and in 2010 contributed 5.53% to the country’s total GDP (World Bank, 2012).  In 2010 value added manufacturing in St Kitts and Nevis amounted to USD$3.16million of a total GDP of approximately $738million. There were an estimated 2150 persons employed in the manufacturing field in 2011, with the majority of positions held by women.

The country’s main manufactured products include cotton, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages and electronics. Carib Brewery is the country’s largest alcoholic beverages manufacturer; it employs 100 people and features a fully automated brew house, a bottling line and a yeast plant. The company also has brewery’s located in Trinidad and Grenada.

St Kitts and Nevis is estimated to have the largest electronics assembly industry in the Eastern Caribbean, with the majority of exports from the country being made up of electrical produce.  In 2008 US$54 million in manufactured goods were exported to the US from St. Kitts & Nevis, making them the largest exporter of goods to the US of all the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and Barbados (Government of St Kitts and Nevis 2008). 63% of all goods exported from St Kitts and Nevis are bound for the US. Canada, Denmark, Germany, and Turkey are also major trade partners with the country (Observatory of Economic Complexity, 2010).

Traditionally the economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis was dependant on the growing and processing of sugar cane. In 2005, following several decades of loss, the government of St Kitts and Nevis officially closed the sugar industry.  Since 2005 the government has attempted to stimulate other sectors of the economy, outlined in the St Kitts and Nevis National Adaptation Strategy 2006-2013. Sectors for development included export-oriented manufacturing (CIA World Factbook, 2012). The manufacturing sector is supported by the Ministry of International Trade, Industry and Commerce.

The St Kitts Investment Promotion Agency (SKIPA), markets St Kitts as an investment opportunity both internationally and locally to assist in the long term development of the country. SKIPA is also involved in lobbying the government to bring about policy changes that will improve the country’s potential for investment.