(Jamaica Gleaner) Trinidad and Barbados head the list of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states that Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Karl Samuda has told to watch their step.
While these territories were specifically fingered by Samuda for their poor treatment of Jamaican products and nationals, respectively, the senior Cabinet minister intimated that other members of the regional trading bloc were also guilty of trade transgressions against Jamaica.
“Quite frankly, I tell you here and now, Trinidad is on watch, and, in fact … all of them are on watch,” Samuda told The Sunday Gleaner, while pointing out that Jamaica had been experiencing problems with Trinidad and Tobago for close to two decades.
Local analysts have said that Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Belize are the main, but not the only, offenders.
Last month, it was reported that Tastee Limited, a Jamaican patty company, had been embroiled in a lengthy trade battle with Trinidad and Tobago.
The twin-island state was accused of using non-tariff barriers to block the importation of meat products from Jamaica. Trinidad and Tobago eventually released the Tastee shipment. Samuda said that the Jamaican Government would be watching keenly to see if there would be a recurrence.
