Tweet
Samuda blasts T'dad over trade barriers
BY ERICA VIRTUE, Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, June 05, 2009
Karl Samuda yesterday blasted Trinidad & Tobago for erecting trade barriers against Jamaican products and warned other Caricom countries engaging in similar behaviour that they were threatening the spirit of the regional free trade agreement.
Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Karl Samuda speaking at a press briefing in Kingston yesterday. Samuda slated Trinidad and Tobago for erecting trade barriers against Jamaican products.
"When you talk about a common market, it must be a common market where the conditions of trade are determined by rules and regulations established to protect the interest of all players in this marketplace," Samuda, Jamaica's minister of industry, investment and commerce, said at a press briefing in Kingston.
"What we have found, to our great concern, is the extent to which barriers have been put in place to impede the expansion and development of exports from Jamaica, and I speak now particularly about Trinidad," Samuda added.
He was responding to the detention of a shipment of Jamaican beef patties by Trinidad Customs recently.
The shipment was eventually released into the market on June 1 after what Jamaica's foreign ministry said were "several weeks of consultations between both governments".
"I have sworn to uphold and protect the rights of every Jamaican," said Samuda. "And that means that anything that is inimical to the interest of the Jamaican people will not go without appropriate action on behalf of myself and this ministry. I just want to make that very, very clear..."
He said that this time it was patties, but asked what would it be next time.
"The level of frustration that has been relayed to me and to my office in respect of these attempts to export to Trinidad cannot be described in any other language than frustrating, and it serves as a major impediment to the concept of free trade within Caricom," the minister said.
"So if we can't even get together to set up a common set of rules that guide and protect the interest of all the parties on trade within our communities, how then can we even think of achieving the harmonisation of our economies within any reasonable time frame?" he asked.
"I am suggesting that there is very little evidence before us at this time to suggest that Caricom - as a free trade and haromonised community within the region - is in great shape," he said flatly.
Samuda said that the issue of trade among Caricom states is to be an agenda item at next month's meeting of Caricom Heads of Government and warned Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Belize that Jamaica will not continue to take the beatings within the bloc.
BY ERICA VIRTUE, Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, June 05, 2009
Karl Samuda yesterday blasted Trinidad & Tobago for erecting trade barriers against Jamaican products and warned other Caricom countries engaging in similar behaviour that they were threatening the spirit of the regional free trade agreement.
Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Karl Samuda speaking at a press briefing in Kingston yesterday. Samuda slated Trinidad and Tobago for erecting trade barriers against Jamaican products."When you talk about a common market, it must be a common market where the conditions of trade are determined by rules and regulations established to protect the interest of all players in this marketplace," Samuda, Jamaica's minister of industry, investment and commerce, said at a press briefing in Kingston.
"What we have found, to our great concern, is the extent to which barriers have been put in place to impede the expansion and development of exports from Jamaica, and I speak now particularly about Trinidad," Samuda added.
He was responding to the detention of a shipment of Jamaican beef patties by Trinidad Customs recently.
The shipment was eventually released into the market on June 1 after what Jamaica's foreign ministry said were "several weeks of consultations between both governments".
"I have sworn to uphold and protect the rights of every Jamaican," said Samuda. "And that means that anything that is inimical to the interest of the Jamaican people will not go without appropriate action on behalf of myself and this ministry. I just want to make that very, very clear..."
He said that this time it was patties, but asked what would it be next time.
"The level of frustration that has been relayed to me and to my office in respect of these attempts to export to Trinidad cannot be described in any other language than frustrating, and it serves as a major impediment to the concept of free trade within Caricom," the minister said.
"So if we can't even get together to set up a common set of rules that guide and protect the interest of all the parties on trade within our communities, how then can we even think of achieving the harmonisation of our economies within any reasonable time frame?" he asked.
"I am suggesting that there is very little evidence before us at this time to suggest that Caricom - as a free trade and haromonised community within the region - is in great shape," he said flatly.
Samuda said that the issue of trade among Caricom states is to be an agenda item at next month's meeting of Caricom Heads of Government and warned Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Belize that Jamaica will not continue to take the beatings within the bloc.
