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Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |
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Remarks by Senator Calixte George on the Official Opening It is indeed a great pleasure to welcome you to the official handingover ceremony of the Inland Reception and Distribution Centre at Odsan from the European Union to the Government and People of Saint Lucia. To me personally this is like a dream come true. This is so because I was part of a team that reviewed the Banana Industry in 1993 and advocated the construction of the Inland Reception Centres as we called them then. We wrote as follows: Report of Banana Review Committee - “The Rationalization of the Inland Buying Depots (IBD’s) operations vis –a-vis Inland Reception Centres (IRC’s) should be pursued with vigour. The operation of Inland Reception Centres is expected to relieve Congestion, increase palletization, reduce handling, provide economies of scale and replace obsolescent buildings. Receiving and Loading costs should be reduced significantly as a number of tasks such as palletization will be carried out at the Inland Reception Centre at lower cost than at the wharves” We then went on to recommend that “The Inland Reception Centres be established without delay. Centres should be located at Cul-de-Sac and in the Micoud/Vieux-Fort area” Ladies and Gentlemen that is almost a decade ago. It would appear that the wheels of Agriculture grind as slowly as the wheels of Justice. It certainly does take a long time from conception to fruit bearing. However we are pleased that the European Development Fund (EDF) came to our aid in providing funding for this long desired and necessary facility at Odsan in the Cul-de-Sac Valley. The relationship between Europe and the Caribbean as we all know spans several centuries and seems to be now entering a partnership whereby the INVISIBLE HAND of the European market place also requires the VISIBLE HAND of the European Development Fund in order for countries like ours to survive in this unequal world. This is why we should support the European Union in the trade talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) level wherever possible since we have certain common interests – historical as well as economic – as compared with Countries of other Trade Blocs whose interests are diametrically opposed to ours and who show no sensitivities to our small size, low endowment levels and open economies. In fact their actions seem to be directed at our obliteration from the world economic system. The construction of the Inland Reception and Distribution Centre is a perfect example of providing infrastructure for us to become more competitive in this world market place. We trust that this facility will be utilized not only for bananas but also in the drive towards the diversification of the Agricultural Sector. As I have said before we do not have a ‘culture of maintenance’ in this country. However I sincerely hope that with a such a wonderful facility that those persons who will use this Centre will respect it and those responsible for its management will put in place a proper maintenance program so that the longevity of the facility will be assured. Once again we must place on record our thanks and gratitude to the European Development Fund for providing the technical assistance as well as the funding for making this Centre a reality. Thank you. |
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