The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 12, 2018
VOLUME 112, No.02
www.thevincentian.com
EC$1.50
Ailene Gabriel - one of the vendors whose counter was re-assigned. Right: Vendors expressed their dissatisfaction with what they say was the high-handed manner in which a new fee was being enforced on them.
obligated management to purchase up to 40% of whatever was on offer. SOME VENDORS at the Kingstown Fish “They are not buying and are in charge Market say that they get the feeling that they of the cold storage. Now the vendors are are being forced out of the facility. forced to try and sell fish at cheaper prices According to the vendors, things have in order to get rid of it before it goes bad,” got worse rather than better since the the source told THE VINCENTIAN. Agricultural Input Warehouse assumed Another complaint concerned the cost of responsibility for management of the storage, with the source relating that a facility, in the middle of 2017. vendor who usually exports fish to the The change of management brought new Diaspora and who stores large quantities arrangements, one being that the new of fish, openly declared that she could no management became selective about which longer afford to store her produce at the type of fish they purchased, preferring Kingstown facility, and still collect a fair Dolphin and King Fish but not Tuna and mark up for her goods. Robin, a source indicated. Even worse, some vendors voiced, was This, the source complained, was in the availability of counter space from breach of an existing arrangement that which to sell fish. In fact, there was a strong indication coming from the vendors, that the new management was entering The area located at the back of photo that into contracts with ‘new’ vendors, and ‘old’ has been designated for vendors, insiders vendors were being forced out. say, who are directly contracted with the Agricultural Input Warehouse. Continued on Page 3.. by DAYLE DA SILVA