Grenada, ANSA McAL win WTO victory

The Government of Grenada scored a major victory with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) following the recent announcement by its Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell, that his government will increase tariffs to 100 percent on imported poultry, beer, stout and malta to protect these local industries. The Grenada Government was supported and assisted by the ANSA McAL Group which is the majority shareholder in Grenada Breweries Limited (GBL), brewers of Carib beer, Shandy Carib, Malta Carib, Royal Extra Stout and other popular beverages. With the collaboration of ANSA McAL, the Government of Grenada successfully renegotiated the imposition of higher tariffs on nine imported products so as to safeguard the products of Grenada Breweries, as well as other local products. GBL is Grenada’s major beverage manufacturer. ANSA McAL’s Group Chairman and Chief Executive, A Norman Sabga, said  the WTO victory  for the Government of Grenada represents the first time that any developing country has successfully completed re-negotiations under Article XXVIII: 1 of the WTO. It is an important development for the Caribbean beverage industry, he said.

Dr Patrick Antoine, a trade economist and Strategic Policy Advisor to the ANSA McAL Group and to the Government of Grenada, led the negotiations. He described the collaborative effort between ANSA McAL and the Grenada Government as “the best example of smart partnering” that he was aware of in the trade policy sphere. Antoine went on to urge other governments and private sector entities to follow the path, which has been demonstrably successful in advancing the interests of small states and small manufacturers. The lesson here is that private sector collaboration with regional governments needs to be appreciated not solely in relation to renegotiations, but in the area of trade policy formulation to facilitate private sector activities on the whole, a statement from the company said.