Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere Monday said St. Lucia is now exporting bananas to Trinidad and Tobago after trade with the United Kingdom was suspended earlier this month.
Prospere, speaking to reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting, dismissed suggestions that the Phillip Pierre administration had been responsible for killing the industry.
“But they never said the important part of my statement, which was as soon as this decision was taken, the very same quantity of bananas was diverted to Trinidad and Tobago,” Prospere said, adding that the UK trade suspension did not negatively impact local farmers.
“We are still exporting those 1000 boxes to Trinidad,” Prospere said, adding that the local authorities are working with a supplier in Trinidad & Tobago to ship 3,000 additional boxes of local bananas to the twin-Island republic.
“The point I am making is that we are not in a situation where the thousand boxes that were going to the UK are at a halt because our farmers would be in a position where their fruits would be hanging. Their fruits are still being harvested and they are being exported,
“So, I want to make it clear to the public that the situation that existed where we had to suspend exports to the UK, those fruits are now being exported to Trinidad and Tobago,” he added.
Prospere announcing the UK banana trade suspension, said when the Pierre administration came to office in July last year it found a banana industry that had collapsed.
“Banana trade with the UK was halted for two years. The critical infrastructure required to efficiently operate the industry was dismantled.
Prospere said key assets such as the ripening facility at Stanstead in the UK and Winfresh’s stake in the Geest shipping line were sold to third parties to meet debt payments. He said this meant the main components of the banana exporting company such as shipping, marketing, and logistics were lost.
“The local producer base/farmer’s organization, the NFTO was facing financial losses and technical challenges. They had to immediately assume responsibility for the commercial arm of the trade although they did not have the resources and expertise to adequately perform that role. The situation at the time seems rather bleak.”
Prospere said the government in recognition of the socio-economic consequences and the critical role of the banana trade in rural communities, found it necessary to intervene for the sake of maintaining social peace and economic mobility in rural communities.
CMC/
