Williamson Industries, the makers of Dickies clothing, has been in Belize since 1961 but there are persistent rumors that the company will be closing down its operations in Belize.
Country manager Larry MaClaren says he has heard those rumors too and he cannot confirm or deny it. He did say that there is quote "tremendous international competition" for Williamson's work and that the cost of doing business in Belize is high. With all that, he said he could not predict what's in store for Williamson Industries in the medium term.
What MaClaren did not say, but what we do know is that one disincentive to continue doing business in Belize is the expiring Caribbean Basin Initiative. That agreement which expires in September of 2008 allows companies in the Caribbean to export Textiles duty free into the United States. By the time of expiry, it is supposed to be replaced by an independent free trade agreement, but Belize is the only country in this region not included in CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
