Terrorism trade laws a non-tariff barrier — NAMDEVCO boss

CEO of the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Company Limited (NAMDEVCO), Samaroo Dowlath, is concerned that the new US  regulations may act as a non-tariff barrier.

While local manufacturers may not have entered panic mode, they are still not adequately sensitised on the issue, he said. This, he said, could have serious repercussions, with local goods being detained by the FDA for not meeting the specified requirements. Another concern was that the new regulations would result in the exporter having to do increased paperwork. “There are also concerns,” he continued, “that the new regulations may act as a non-tariff barrier, keeping local manufacturers from exporting.” “We have to be ahead of the game in terms of traceability,” he maintained, adding that the new mandate would also require local manufacturers and exporters to engage in best practices.

President of the TT Manufacturers Association (TTMA), Anthony Hosang agreed, saying the measures were seen as a non-tariff barrier. “This is restrictive,” he stated, “since some islands cannot afford this measure and therefore will be unable to ship goods to the US.” “No country should be denied the right to defend itself and should put in place whatever they feel is necessary to protect their country. However, we should not have to pay for it.” He went further to note that the larger manufacturers were sensitised to the issue of the new act. However, he did not believe that the smaller producers were fully aware of what they would be facing. While these new regulations do present a new challenge to local manufacturers, there is no need to panic.

At a recently held briefing session, organised by the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT), Allister Glean, Consultant at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, maintained that the new Act could positively impact on TT, providing opportunities to improve internal efficiencies. He allayed fears that local producers will be forced to reveal trade secretes when registering. Despite the fact that they will have to reveal contents of the various products, they will not be required to provide quantitative data, he said. He urged them to put in place proper systems and monitor these systems ensuring that they are functioning properly. Once this was done, Glean asserted, there was nothing to fear.  

Minister of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources, Jarrette Narine, said, “We have to recognise that contamination of even one batch of our products could have catastrophic results. “This process could destroy consumer confidence in your product and in the country’s exports. This in turn will translate into reduced employment opportunities, lower export earnings and less income for our farmers and agro-processors.” Narine went on to assert that the US was presently TT’s most important trading partner and as a result TT was seeking to increase local exports of goods and services to the US. “These initiatives,” he stated, “suggest that we have to develop the capacity to be able to comply with the stringent requirements of the US and other international markets.”