The Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs will hold the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Task Force to Monitor and Evaluate the Impact of Changes in the United States' Trade Policy on Goods.

The primary objective of this Task Force is to assess the likely effects of United States' President Donald Trump's recently announced trade policy changes, more specifically, a 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, and a 10 percent tariff on imports from China, and to make recommendations to the Cabinet of Ministers and the private sector/traders to mitigate any harmful effects or to utilize any opportunities which may arise as a result of these changes.

The Task Force is chaired by Commerce Minister Emma Hippolyte and will be comprised of a ministerial committee and a technical sub-committee (with representatives from the public and private sectors).

The inaugural meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 18, at 9 a.m., at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Commerce, Fourth Floor, Heraldine Rock Building, Castries Waterfront. The media is invited.