TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (Commonwealth Union)_Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere announced on Monday that St. Lucia is now exporting bananas to Trinidad and Tobago, following the suspension of trade with the United Kingdom earlier this month.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Prospere disputed claims that the Phillip Pierre administration was responsible for the industry’s demise. “But they never mentioned the most important part of my statement, which was that as soon as this decision was made, the exact same amount of bananas were diverted to Trinidad and Tobago,” he said, adding that the UK trade suspension had no negative impact on local farmers.
When the Pierre administration took office in July last year, it found a banana industry that had crumbled, according to Prospere, who announced the suspension of UK banana trade. “Banana commerce with the United Kingdom was halted for two years. The crucial infrastructure required to run the industry efficiently was demolished.”
Prospere stated that major assets such as the Stanstead ripening facility in the United Kingdom and Winfresh’s interest in the Geest shipping line were transferred to third parties in order to fulfil debt obligations. He claimed that the essential components of the banana exporting company, such as shipping, marketing, and logistics, had been lost as a result.
“The NFTO, the local producer base/association, farmer’s was confronting financial losses as well as technological issues. They had to take up responsibility for the commercial side of the business right away, despite the fact that they lacked the necessary resources and knowledge. The situation appears to be pretty dismal at the time.”
According to Prospere, the government felt it was vital to interfere to ensure social peace and economic mobility in rural communities because of the socioeconomic ramifications and critical significance of the banana trade.
