Potential supply chain between the Participating States of APTA and PICTA members

Small island countries, especially those that are located at remote distances, face several problems in their development path. Usually, these problems arise mainly from the lack of resources – economic, social and natural – long distances from continents and asymmetry in information. The resource crunch acts as a bottleneck in the development of their agricultural activities and industries and limits public expenditure in various sectors. The Pacific Island Countries (PICs) considered in this chapter, are perfect examples of this situation. Due to the above-mentioned difficulties, their export competitiveness and export earnings are very low. Their dependence on imports is quite high, even for low-cost common items. Joining a supply chain production network with the Participating States of APTA (which include leading economic giants such as India, China and the Republic of Korea) could be a very effective way to address these issues. The benefits could be that their agricultural and industrial resources gain better markets in the APTA region in terms of share and price, and that they can attract financial as well as technical assistance from the Participating States of APTA as co-partners in production processes.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions