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Ministry official downplays banana agreement
Published: Saturday | April 16, 2011 0 Comments
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Donovan Stanberry.- JIS
Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer DESPITE LEGAL advice that a banana-export agreement he signed with the Caymanian [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]government[/COLOR][/COLOR] may be void - having not received the approval of the British government - Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary in Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture, is optimistic the situation will be resolved.
"I am talking to you as the authority in this ministry. The issue is not ... deemed serious. We'll solve it next week when our legal officer is back," he told The Gleaner.
Pressed as to the reasons for the delay, Stanberry eventually admitted somebody had raised the issue as to whether his Caymanian counterpart was qualified to sign the document.
"That is no big thing. That is easily solved because whoever is the PS (permanent secretary) in that ministry is not an idiot. If he or she needs the authority of Britain, all they have to do is call and ask if they have the authority, and if they say they have it, then that is fine," he said.
Meanwhile, an industry source was insistent that "while all this is happening, the people's business is spoiling" in reference to those who have brought their operations up to standard in compliance with export demands. With exports to Europe suspended in 2008, banana farmers have been forced to turn their attention to the domestic market and alternative export markets. At the same time, Stanberry has underscored the value of these regional markets to fill the shortfall created by fallout in the traditional export marketplace.
"The Latin Americans have now gotten better access because of their lobbying the WTO (World Trade Organisation), so we can't compete, and the shipping costs also exacerbate that situation, but in small places - like Cayman, Turks and Caicos, and The Bahamas - that don't produce banana, but have a huge tourism sector, we have a better chance in those markets."
The permanent secretary explained that whereas it would require a whole shipload of the fruit to make a trip to Europe economically feasible, shipping even one [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]container[/COLOR][/COLOR] load to any of the regional markets would be practical, given that shipping costs would be significantly lower. A few Jamaicans are already shipping banana to The Cayman Islands, but the agriculture ministry is reportedly moving to develop the trade in a more structured and sustainable way.
christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com
Published: Saturday | April 16, 2011 0 Comments
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Donovan Stanberry.- JIS
Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer DESPITE LEGAL advice that a banana-export agreement he signed with the Caymanian [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]government[/COLOR][/COLOR] may be void - having not received the approval of the British government - Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary in Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture, is optimistic the situation will be resolved.
"I am talking to you as the authority in this ministry. The issue is not ... deemed serious. We'll solve it next week when our legal officer is back," he told The Gleaner.
Pressed as to the reasons for the delay, Stanberry eventually admitted somebody had raised the issue as to whether his Caymanian counterpart was qualified to sign the document.
"That is no big thing. That is easily solved because whoever is the PS (permanent secretary) in that ministry is not an idiot. If he or she needs the authority of Britain, all they have to do is call and ask if they have the authority, and if they say they have it, then that is fine," he said.
Meanwhile, an industry source was insistent that "while all this is happening, the people's business is spoiling" in reference to those who have brought their operations up to standard in compliance with export demands. With exports to Europe suspended in 2008, banana farmers have been forced to turn their attention to the domestic market and alternative export markets. At the same time, Stanberry has underscored the value of these regional markets to fill the shortfall created by fallout in the traditional export marketplace.
"The Latin Americans have now gotten better access because of their lobbying the WTO (World Trade Organisation), so we can't compete, and the shipping costs also exacerbate that situation, but in small places - like Cayman, Turks and Caicos, and The Bahamas - that don't produce banana, but have a huge tourism sector, we have a better chance in those markets."
The permanent secretary explained that whereas it would require a whole shipload of the fruit to make a trip to Europe economically feasible, shipping even one [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]container[/COLOR][/COLOR] load to any of the regional markets would be practical, given that shipping costs would be significantly lower. A few Jamaicans are already shipping banana to The Cayman Islands, but the agriculture ministry is reportedly moving to develop the trade in a more structured and sustainable way.
christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com
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