Belize suing St Kitts and T&T over sugar imports
The government of Belize is suing St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) over alleged sugar imports from non-CARICOM member states without application of the necessary tariff.
Minister of Agriculture, Godwin Hulse, stated that the two countries been breaching trade-related policies so there was no other choice but to take the matter to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
“Goods flow freely between the territories. If one of the territories have a particular good that another territory wants, it is required to import it from that territory. If it does not and he gets it extra-regional, means outside of the community, then, for the most part, it supposed to pay what we called a CET (Common External Tariffe). Trinidad and St. Kitts have been buying from Honduras and Guatemala for which is outside the region without buying the 40% CET and while we have had many requests at COTED, they continue to do it and so recourse is to go to the Caribbean Court of Justice.”
Hulse added that in the case of sugar, Belize produces enough brown sugar to supply the needs of the community.
“While a lot of the sugar production reduced in the community because of other issues. Jamaica reduced, Barbados production reduced, Guyana was in difficulty. Belize actually increased. Belize ASR/Santander jointly produced enough sugar to sell into the Caribbean market which has the best price, but this suit is not about plantation rights, it’s about brown sugar which has no quarrel at all.”
The Ministry of Agriculture reported that because of the action of St Kitts and Trinidad and Tobago, the sugar industry in Belize is suffering a loss of almost two million dollars.
The period in question is from November 2018 to June of 2020 during which time Belize has alleged that the Federation has imported some 975 metric tons of sugar imports from Guatemala and Honduras free of duty.
However, the government of St Kitts refuting the claims. Trade Minister Wendy Phipps discussed key facts about the claims filed by Belize during a sitting of the national assembly.
“The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis does not import sugar into the Federation. Any importation of sugar by the Government would have been brought to an end in 2015 when the supply office was closed. And the second point I wish to remind us of is that all sugar imports into our Federation would have been based on trading arrangements being entered into by the private sector specifically wholesalers and retailers and their overseas suppliers.”
Trinidad and Tobago has yet to issue a statement on the matter.