Louisiana: Lake Charles Seeking to Increase Trade

May 21, 2003 <a href=www.kplctv.com>kplctv.com, Reported by: Rhonda Kitchens

From food processing to banking, the City of Lake Charles is looking to bring more international trade opportunities to the lake area.

Sean Kelley, the Senior Commercial Officer in Caracas, Venezuela was the guest speaker at a luncheon Tuesday at the Port of Lake Charles.

Kelley spoke about the energy and trade development in Venezuela, and says, in the near future, this could be the perfect way for folks in the community to market their goods internationally. "President Chavez has restricted access to exchange controls so the importers cannot access dollars therefore they cannot import. So there's no sense in promoting exports to Venezuela in the immediate future however there are traditional sectors that have invest prospects and as this situation changes as the foreign exchange gets released there will be an influx of imports into Venezuela for these sectors."

Kelley's trip to Southwest Louisiana is in recognition of World Trade Week.