Lands needed for quarrying

Dwindling reserves of sand and gravel and the tardy rate at which licences are being issued to quarrying operators have Ramdeo Persad worried. Persad,  President of the TT Quarry Association (QATT), said while 2004 was a slow start for the association, the housing thrust of the Government during the second quarter created an increased demand for construction aggregates. The president went on to state that during the first quarter of 2004, QATT met with Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Eric Williams, who assured them that State lands would be made available for the fourth quarter of 2004.

QATT remains hopeful that the lands would be released in 2005. Persad was speaking at QATT’s annual Christmas dinner and award ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel recently. As for the issuing of licensing to quarrying operators, from July 2004, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries published a list of operators on both State and private lands who are eligible for licenses to operate on these lands. Persad said that this grant would allow QATT members to access the necessary finances to upgrade and replace existing plant and equipment. This would ultimately lead to greater levels of efficiency in processing, environmental management and product quality. QATT president also pointed out that there was a decrease in TT’s sand and gravel reserves. In fact, he said it is estimated that the remaining sand and gravel reserves on State land may not last more than ten to 15 years at current production levels.

Despite this, QATT maintains that there is no need for panic, as there are significant reserves of high quality limestone in the Northern Range, providing an alternative to the sand and gravel aggregate. Persad said he wanted the Energy Ministry to identify suitable reserves on State lands which could be made available for quarrying. He suggested that the Government monetise these reserves through a process of State lands leases in conjunction with private sector input for development. QATT also requested that consideration be given to the expansion of the storage facility at Chaguaramas, as it has become commonplace for a single or even a few operators to completely exhaust the entire stock in a single blast. Another major concern was the low specification aggregate currently being imported into the country, specifically from the Dominican Republic.

While QATT says that it is in full support of these globalisation trends, it views the development with concern, as it may amount to the uncontrolled dumping of aggregate on the local market which may lead to the demise of the “legal” operators in the industry. Since the local industry directly employs 10,000 persons and a further 90,000 indirectly through downstream industries, if there is destabilisation within the sector, this could mean massive displacement of workers. He noted that there appeared to be a monopoly on aggregate importation, and said he would be seeking a meeting with the relevant authorities to discuss this.

The association also welcomed the budgetary measure introduced this year by the Minister of Energy on the decision to repeal the Minerals Act of 2000. While operators are yet to sign the new legislation proposed, they have met with the director of minerals who has given assurance for some sort of relief on the issue. QATT has taken issue with the environmental legislation whereby existing quarry operators needed to have a certificate of environmental compliance, similar to requirements of those who are just starting greenfield operations.