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Contact:
Earl Bousquet
Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - Just days after Prime Minister Dr. Kenny
Anthony urged St. Lucians to keep their eyes on the effects of increased world
market oil prices on the region’s economies, one CARICOM territory is already
reporting disastrous consequences for an important national industry.
It was announced in the press on Tuesday, October 19 that high fuel costs have
put a freeze on Guyana’s all-important seafood industry, threatening hundreds of
lay-offs and raising a cloud of uncertainty about the industry’s future.
That country’s seafood industry has contributed an average of US $55 million per
year to the economy. However, according to the latest issue of Guyana’s Stabroek
Newspaper, that will not be the case this year.
Owners of trawlers and seafood processors have officially indicated they have
stopped harvesting, and may send hundreds of workers home, because of the
effects of the increased fuel prices.
One company, Noble House Seafoods, said it had already sent its workers packing
and had also asked them to stay home until further notice. Other processors said
they could also send workers home for several weeks.
Every year, the Guyana seafood industry takes a six-week break from harvesting
to allow marine resources to replenish. However, spokesmen for the industry said
the owners decided not to resume fishing, because of the high costs and losses
due to sale or theft of their products at sea.
The Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors comprises 17
trawler owners and employs thousands of workers.
The owners and operators said they had to compete with Venezuela, Trinidad &
Tobago and Suriname, all of which access fuel at considerably lower costs.
Prime Minister Anthony, in his weekly radio address last Monday, urged St.
Lucians to monitor the effects of increased world market prices for oil on non
oil-producing countries.
The Prime Minister said that if current trends continued it could spell disaster
for non-oil producing countries and economies in the Caribbean like St. Lucia
and Guyana.
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