Chamber head: Numerous complaints about accessing US $$

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce, David O’Brien, admitted that he has received numerous complaints from some of his members who had difficulty accessing US dollars. This situation, he revealed, has been going on for the past few weeks.

He noted that he could not understand this shortage, considering the level of reserves announced by the Central Bank. When asked whether he had received any response from the commercial banks as to the cause of this shortage, O’Brien replied that the Central Bank would periodically put foreign currency into the system. However, he said, it had done so on a limited basis where the US currency was concerned.
He called on the Central Bank to address the situation.

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturer’s Association (TTMA), Anthony Hosang, also revealed that he had received complaints from TTMA members who were concerned about the shortage. However, he stated, that this was a “standard thing” at this time of year, due to the high level of purchases and bill payments. “Of course,” he admitted, “there is always a worry when there is a shortage of anything that affects trade, but this is not abnormal.”