Incoming Chairman tables a laundry list of complaints at OECS meet

Incoming Chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Authority and Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves has tabled a laundry list of complaints which point to CARICOM (the Caribbean Community) mechanism being economically disadvantageous to OECS Member States.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 77th Meeting of the OECS Authority on June ,17, 2025 at the Sandals St Vincent resort, PM Gonsalves said the trading arrangements within CARICOM have proven to be beneficial to the member states with a “larger territorial and economic base” and also went so far as to question if the time had come for OECS member states to disengage from the CSME mechanism of CARICOM.

“The OECS countries may well, most reluctantly by force of circumstances, have to put on the table the continued relevance of our participation in the CSME while, of course, remaining in CARICOM until the inequities refer to hearing are satisfied.”

Trinidad and Tobago was on the receiving end of the majority of issues raised by the PM, especially as it relates to manufacturing.

PM Gonsalves disclosed that prior to the OECS Member States signing on to the CSME, an economic study conducted by the OECS confirmed that the CARICOM arrangements were disadvantageous to the OECS manufacturing sector, adding that without the special protection offered through Article 164 of the CARICOM Treaty the existence of the Eastern Caribbean Flour Mills would be in “great jeopardy”.

“But this protection for our flour… is time bound… on the last occasion… on which this matter came up for renewal, the opposition of Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados almost scuttled this protection. Fortunately, my government was able to secure continued protection under the rules, through the combined support of the OECS countries, Guyana, Haiti, Belize, and Suriname. Next time will the anchor hold? he questioned.

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, accused T&T producers of wanting “ to take over the entire flour market in the Eastern Caribbean”.

“We in Vincent and the Grenadines will draw a line in the sand on this,” he promised.

Another issue was also raised about the foreign exchange control arrangements in Trinidad and Tobago which have “conspired to reduce to near nothingness, a hither-to US 12 to 15 million dollar annual trade in agricultural export” from SVG.

He said this “injustice” continues to pose many difficulties to local farmers and agricultural traders.

“Our country, pays Trinidad and Tobago annually, in excess of US$65 million. We pay in hard foreign currency for visible exports from Trinidad, mainly petroleum products and manufactured goods, but our sister CARICOM country cannot find less than a miserly 4 million US in foreign exchange to pay for our agricultural produce.”

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