Farmers, traffickers urged to repair relationship

The Ministry of Agriculture has stepped in to mend the relationship between local farmers and persons who buy their produce to resell overseas.{{more}}

Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar told a press conference yesterday that distrust has weakened the relationship between farmers and the inter-island hawkers —commonly called “traffickers” locally.

Caesar said farmers have complained of not being treated justly by traffickers.

He further said that to rectify the situation, the ministry has intervened to ensure that the relationship is mended for the sake of the survival of the agriculture sector.

“There is significant distrust between the farmers and traffickers. There is almost a total bottleneck in the relationship.

“Many farmers are of the view that they are not treated fairly with regards to prices being offered by traffickers,” the minister stated.

In November 2012, a consultation was held involving Caesar and some of the traffickers, who travel to regional markets, primarily Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands.

Caesar said traffickers outlined several issues affecting prices for commodities on the market.

“One of the issues they … pointed out is that there is significant competition from islands like Dominica, Suriname and also Guyana. And for those who are trading in Trinidad, the main complaint has been that the market share from Suriname and Guyana is increasing.

“And for those who are going north informed that Dominica is providing some levels of competition that is eventually causing price fluctuations and sometimes these uncertainties in the market are usually passed on to the farmers,” the agriculture minister disclosed.

“The Ministry of Agriculture, we are in the midst of this discussion and I took the opportunity, while in Trinidad [on Sunday] to meet with some of the purchasers of some of these commodities,” he added.

Caesar said that following those meetings, there are now plans to establish market segmentation, where the ministry will be seeking to negotiate higher prices for non-banana produce exported primarily to Trinidad and Tobago.

“The aim is to try and break into some niche markets directly to the supermarkets,” he said.

Caesar, however, said traffickers will maintain their traditional markets and would not be affected by the ministry’s new plan.

He also said that the first meeting between his ministry and business houses in Trinidad has been scheduled for February.

“I know the traffickers, they do an excellent job in terms of moving produce out of St Vincent and the Grenadines. And it’s a relationship that we have to ensure that it is mended, because it definitely is in the interest of agriculture in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” he said. (AA)