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PM Chastanet
The contents of a report geared at reviewing two government organisations – the Saint Lucia Marketing Board (SLMB) and National Printing Corporation (NPC) – will determine whether they are shut down, allowed to continue operations or transformed into some other venture.
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has said that this report is expected to be available for review within the next couple weeks.
In his recent budget presentation, the prime minister mentioned that government was considering the closure of unprofitable agencies in order to cut the national debt. The SLMB and NPC were two of those organisations mentioned.
Earlier this month, former head of the Saint Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation (SLFMC) Dr. James Fletcher, while conceding that it has not been efficiently managed, said the closure of the SLMB is not the best alternative, as it still fulfils a major purpose for those who use it. He proposed that the entity be restructured or perhaps consolidated with the Fish Marketing Corporation.
At a press conference this week, Chastanet weighed in on the issue.
“The question is what were those entities designed for and do those reasons still exist? And if they don’t exist, is there a rational for justifying?” he asked.
“Why should the Marketing Board be given incentives to bring food in duty free when you have five or six major distributors here who are doing it more successfully and paying duty? So, is there really a need for the Marketing Board?” he further questioned.
Chastanet suggested that an agricultural hub would be more beneficial to the country.
“We think too that many farmers are growing produce without knowing that there is a market,” he added.
Meanwhile, regarding the NPC, the Chastanet said, “once we have that report then we will know which direction we are gonna go.”
According to him, the NPC will have greater economies of scale if it is altered to provide printing services for both government and the private sector.
“Technology today, with a printery they are being modernised on a more regular basis. You get major benefits if you have volume. So for only doing printing for government, it’s restrictive. Whereas, if you have a printery that’s doing printing for government as well as the private sector, they can hit different economies of scales,” he argued.
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