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Contact:
George Jude
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - Prime Minister, Dr. Kenny D. Anthony has
summoned representatives of the banana companies, Windward Islands Banana
Exporting Company (WIBDECO), and the Banana Recovery Unit of the Ministry of
Agriculture to review the outcome of his visit to London and Brussels last
weekend, along with Dr. Ralph Gonzalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and
Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica for a series of meetings aimed at promoting the
interests of banana farmers in the Windward Islands.
The Prime Minister will brief the representatives on the outcome of his
discussions with the main supermarkets which purchase Windward Island bananas,
including Sainsbury, Tesco, Waitrose and Marks and Spencers. He will also brief
them on the discussions with the European Commissioners, regarding the likely
change to the banana regime in January 2006, when the European Union (EU)
Commission moves to a single tariff (tariff-only) arrangement.
The banana regime is set to experience further changes on May 1 of this year,
when 10 new members join the EU. Under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules,
the EU is bound to increase the tariff rate quota (TRQ) and there are concerns
that such an increase may exacerbate the oversupply conditions of the market and
further depress prices.
Since the price war, which was instigated by Asda-Wal Mart in August 2002, the
retail price of bananas in the United Kingdom (UK) has fallen by 31 per cent.
There are fears in the banana trade that the latest price drop, which was less
than a month ago, may not be the last.
It was the concerns over such developments in the market and the imminent
changes to the EU banana import regime that led WIBDECO, on the advice of the
prime minister to initiate this high level mission.
The Prime Ministers returned home last Saturday, February 14.
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