Die bugs, die

Seventeen years ago, Ray Todd Chemicals Limi-ted, revolutionised the mosquito and small pest control industry by introducing the Bugmat brand of mosquito insecticide mats, giving the public an alternative to the then popular mosquito coils. Today, Ray Todd has broken the mold with its product range of environmentally and user-friendly product line, which has grown significantly to include the Bugtrap Roach Bait Stations and Enzaclean — an enzyme-based septic tank cleaner. The company, which is located at the Macoya Indus-trial Estate, is presently expanding into other lines which will be launched in 2004. General Manager at Ray Todd, Gregory Stone, explai-ned that the company was started on the recognition that there was a safer alternative to mosquito and pest control than mosquito coils which have been deemed a fire hazard by numerous studies. Additionally, these coils have been said to pose a serious health risk to the human respiratory system, he added. Scientific research by the World Health Organisation has also identified the release of certain carcinogens into the atmosphere which increase the risk of cancer with continued use. The Bugmat Mosquito Insecticide Mat involves a safer vaporisation control method using an electronic vaporiser which is encased in flame-proof material. This therefore eliminates the risk of a fire. Furthermore, this vaporisation method releases only a mosquito control formula which is non-toxic to humans.

Stone said the company’s market share is growing.  “We opened up the Caribbean with it.” Despite the fact that this technology originated in China, with chemical formulas best suited to their environment, Ray Todd developed the Bugmat chemical formula which was most appropriate for the Caribbean and Latin American environments, with its strains of malaria and dengue source mosquitoes and small flying insects. “From day one,” he continued, “Bugmat was manufactured in Trinidad. We have concentrated and are still concentrating on the product, since 1986. It is a good business and still a growing business.” The company has distributors in most of the other Caribbean islands, as well as Surinam and Guyana. They are presently negotiating to enter the South American market. The Enzaclean brand was officially launched in 2002 to be used for septic tanks and waste lines. Production Manager at Ray Todd, Anees Ackbarali explai-ned that the product utilises environmentally friendly natural enzymes that are reintroduced into the septic tank systems. He noted that the biggest problem with septic tanks was,  that people were not aware of the best ways to maintain them, using cleaners which have a high chlorine content and in time destroy the natural enzymes in the system. He said, “Throughout the history of the company we have maintained that all products endorsed are environmentally friendly and pose no health risks.”

“We are very much in touch and involved with shows happening around the world,” Stone maintained, noting that information on these shows came from their main suppliers based in South America, Asia and North America. “Every year the US, through the WHO, holds discussions on pests and pest control mainly to discuss medical situations,” he continued. The latter part of 2002 saw Ray Todd enhancing the image of the Bugmat label, a move which, Stone explained, was aimed at improving the company’s competitive edge in light of the impending Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) scheduled for 2005. However, Stone asserted, for local manufacturers to reap the benefits of increased globalisation which will be riding the wave of the FTAA, governments of the region need to put in place systems designed to protect these manufacturers against “dumping” from the first world countries.

“The fear,” he stated, “is that our Caricom governmental bodies like the TT Bureau of Standards and the Food and Drug Administration, are being under-funded and hence have little or no legislative teeth to be able to prevent dumping from happening in TT.” “Governments throughout the Caribbean,” Stone continued, “have not yet gone beyond the rhetoric to put any systems in place that will be able to protect manufacturers like ourselves.” He expressed his fear that Trinidad and Tobago will eventually follow in the footsteps of Jamaica which, 15 years ago, had a thriving manufacturing sector, but which today had become a distributor nation. “We will see TT go that route much faster than Jamaica did if government does not protect the manufacturing sector,” he warned.

However, he still remains optimistic about Ray Todd’s future. “With proper preparation and support we will be able to realise the positive aspects of the FTAA,” he said. “However, it is important for us as manufacturers to understand what is going on and there is usually a large contingent of manufacturers present to listen to what is being developed and how we can assist in coming up with research and development to take care of the pest situation,” he said. Presently, the company dominates the local market in terms of the mosquito mats, controlling approximately 85 percent of the market share. Throughout the rest of the Caribbean, their market share stands at anywhere between 65 to 85 percent. “The mat market,” he said, “no doubt converted coil users who went to the mats and never went back. And there is still a lot of room to grow.”