The Director of Trade, Matthan J. Walter, addressed a video circulating on social media that alleged major shipping lines would be grounded in two weeks, nobody would ship, and there would be a catastrophic consequence, causing rice and sugar to become difficult to get in the area.
He calls it scare mongering and adds that we import most of our rice and sugar from Guyana according to CSME (CARICOM Single Market and Economy) agreements.
Walter said some ships utilise low-sulfur gasoline. He said that the gasoline includes 0.5% sulfuric content. Many ships that perform lengthy trips have scrubbers that enable them to utilize high sulfur fuel, which is cheaper, and with less environmental effect.
The director pointed out that there are solutions to cope with rising gasoline prices. Vessel owners and operators can pass it on to cargo shippers with a lag effect by adding bunker adjustment factors to current contract prices.
He stated Dominica imports sugar from Belize, therefore our rice and sugar aren’t far away. The CSME permits free movement of commodities, skills, labour, and services among its 15 members.
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