EconomÃa de la Arabia Saudita
The economic situation of the Guadeloupe, strongly overdrawn, is translated by two significant figures: unemployment rate (27,8 % of the active population in 1998), and the deposit rate of the imports by exports (6 % in 1996).
The Agriculture (Cane with sugar, Banana, melon, etc), formerly economic engine of the island, survives only thanks to the local government agency and State grants. The Industry S, very few, belong primarily to the sector Agroalimentaire (sugar refineries, rum distilleries, canning facilities). One finds also a cement factory. The Tourisme is the only economic sector to preserve a certain dynamism.
Primary sector
The stalls abound in fruits, but the agiculture is in crisis:
Agriculture is the principal sector of the economy inhabitant of Guadeloupe. The major part of agricultural surface - env 50000 ha is devoted to the cultures known as of export which are the Canne with sugar, the Banane S, the melon S, the lawyer S, the Ananas, the Corossol S, the Igname S, orange S, the Citron S, the Eggplant S, the carambola S or the Pamplemousse S: all the richness of the creole gardens is found on the stalls in edge of road. But the exubérance of the markets masks the weaknesses of agriculture inhabitant of Guadeloupe. The Cane with sugar and the Banana, the two productions of the island, are in crisis. As for the fruit-bearing and market-gardening cultures, they do not manage to meet the needs for the 390.000 Inhabitants of Guadeloupe. Each year, the island must import approximately 10.000 tons of fruits and vegetables. It is necessary to note a progressive decline of the agricultural activity in front of the very hard competition of the countries of Latin America and Africa, and this because of the low costs of their labor. The food crops are almost non-existent. The agricultural sector survives today thanks to the subsidies coming from the Europe and thanks to certain policies " protectionists françaises".
Secondary industry
With an industrial fabric strong tiny room, the essence of the activity resides in the transformation of the agricultural produce (rum, sugar) and of products of importation (cement, flour).
Tertiary sector
It is divided mainly into two branches: the public sector which gathers the civils servant (nearly 25% of the credits) and tourism. Tourism is very strongly doped by the French policies (fiscal policy on the investissemnt in addition to sea, deregulation of the air traffic). However, this sector is strongly put at evil nowadays by very the low costs of the other West-Indian destinations (Cuba, Dominican Republic) like by the chronic fears started by the attacks of the September 11th, as well as the series of crash landing air of the summer 2005.
Assessment
One can say that nowadays, the Guadeloupe appears in his regional environment (the Caraïbe) like a small island of richness, of share his rate of elimination of illiteracy, social security benefits and an health system equivalent to those of the developed countries. But one should not mistake there: this richness is quite relative and comes not from economic performances but from transfers of funds coming from the metropolis. These transfers bring their batch of perverse effects such as:- discouraged private initiative
- very low productivity not allowing any form of autonomy
- growing Assistanat
- strong unemployment rate (nearly 30%)
- balances commercial strongly overdrawn
---- The results of the Census of population 1999 are provisional (October 1999). The urban units are made up according to the delimitation carried out at the time of the census of the population 1990
| Random links: | Dunkirk | Espacio euclidiano | Canton of Saint-Etienne-of-Rouvray | Laura Dupont | Jean Vernette | Claire Gibault |