Headlines:
| No cement shortage |
|
|
| Wednesday, 14 May 2008 | |
Commerce Minister Karl Samuda said there will be no
shortage of cement in the island.Mr. Samuda told Parliament Tuesday that up to the end of last month, the inventory at Caribbean Cement Company stood at 88,000 metric tons. This is significantly more than the 24,000 metric tons which Mr. Samuda claimed was in reserve when he took office eight months ago. The Commerce Minister stated that decisive action by the government aided in ensuring the cement reserves: "We were proactive ... if the former Ministers of Industry and Transport had spoken with each other would they have known that the importing community could not import with the inspection fee that you imposed at the wharf on every shipment." Mr. Samuda said this made it uneconomical for cement imports to import the product. "We removed it and by removing it, it made them able to sell the product if they import it and they import it enough to give us this kind of cushion which we now enjoy," said Mr. Samuda. He reiterated that the cement company's supply will be improved in October when the new plant is commissioned. The company now produces 60,000 tons which will move to 90,000 once the plant comes on stream. |