KINGSTON, Jamaica - Rum, the sugar-based liquor that has fueled the development of the Caribbean for centuries, is the focus of an increasingly bitter dispute with the U.S.
Small producers in countries like Antigua, Guyana and Jamaica complain they are being punched by unfair trade and marketing advantages for global beverage corporations operating in U.S. territories, and say U.S. rum subsidies threaten to drive some beloved top-shelf Caribbean labels out of business, or force them to sell out.
It's a high stakes battle because rum is one of the few competitive industries for the tourism-dependent region's tiny, vulnerable economies. The tipple, which can range from colorless to coppery, from almost tasteless to richly layered, generates roughly $500 million in foreign exchange for independent Caribbean countries and more than $250 million in tax revenues.
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