President of the Single Fathers Association Rhondall Feeles says there must be a better way, time and place in which police officers can execute a maintenance warrant on a parent.

Feeles made this statement after he posted a social media video in which the police went to the home of a father and arrested him while he (the father) was holding his child.

He said, “I made a general reference not only to maintenance offences but also non-criminal offences. A speeding ticket, talking on your cell phone and non-payment of maintenance. If convicted of these things or sent to prison for maintenance, it is not reflected good on a certificate of character. My whole issue is that we are taking the same offence in which the execution of the warrant in which the criminal offender and the non-criminal offender is treated in the same manner,” he said.

Feeles said the non-payment of maintenance is a non-criminal offence and the problem is how the warrants were being executed by police officers.

“The reason is to have a standardisation or codification on how the warrants are executed on non-criminal offences as opposed to those who commit criminal offences,” he said.

He said sometimes the warrant officer takes a proactive approach in which they contact the home, meet the father and tell him to surrender or even surrender to the association.

Feeles further advised that the other parent involved should not receive money out of the court.

“Never to do so. Many have paid the money and never have the court order removed and sometimes months or years later it would have no value to show it was being paid or sometimes they (the parents) reconcile,” he said.

Feeles said sometimes the couple reconcile but the maintenance order remains in court.

“Make sure that the order has been stopped if you want to reconcile and get back together.”

He said sometimes non-custodial parents lose their jobs or are retrenched and this does not cause the maintenance to stop.

“The maintenance continues to accrue without a source of income, this is arrears of accruing on the man’s bill,” he said.

Feeles said there are also women who have maintenance orders and do not pay it.

“It had mothers owing thousands of dollars. If a survey is done and we look at the women I would challenge the Judiciary to present information showing the number of women that pay maintenance and the per cent who are consistent and the fact may be proven that men pay it better than women,” he said.

He said this data would determine if it is a dead beat father “thing” or truly an issue of the non-custodial parent having challenges to keep up with the maintenance system in T&T.

“Many of the men don’t take them to court because they are taught culturally that the man is the bread winner of the home. Because of this they take there responsibility without asking the mother for anything.

Attempts yesterday to contact Social Development and Family Services Minister Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn proved futile.

A 70-year-old taxi driver who allegedly committed a sex act on a 12-year-old girl was yesterday granted $100,000 approval bail.

Giefton Raymond, of Marabella, was also granted a cash bail alternative of $20,000 when he appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court.

The charge alleged that on April 1 in Marabella he committed an act of sexual penetration on the minor.

Raymond was not called upon to plea to the indictable charge laid by PC Diamond.

Members of the public, including the media, were instructed to leave the courtroom as the matter was held in camera.

Raymond told Senior Magistrate Cherril-Anne Antoine that he was a part time taxi driver, had no matters pending in court and has eight children.

Confirming that he had a previous clean record, prosecutor Cleyon Seedan also asked for certain conditions attached to his bail.

The magistrate warned Raymond to stay away from the child and have no contact with her. The matter was adjourned to May 1.

Even after Shazard Ken Ali, popularly known as Trixie, was found dead on Monday, his many friends cried justice saying that his “murderers will be punished.”According to a police report, at about 6.30 pm Ali’s semi-nude body was found in a drain at the side of the road.

There were several wounds to the head. He was only clad in a jersey.An autopsy done yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre said he died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. He was bludgeoned.

Ali’s friends, with whom he was liming with at Poolside Bar, Caura Valley Road, said he went to urinate. He never returned. His worried friends began searching for Ali and found him lying on his back in a drain.

Ali’s relatives were too distraught to speak, however, close friends described Ali as “always a happy soul.”

One of Ali’s friends took to Facebook and wrote: “Whoever killed our brother will regret the day he was conceived. Not Trixie man…he never do anybody anything.”“He always cooking, laughing, cracking jokes, fishing and catching crab. God doesn’t rest. Your murderers will be punished. Rest easy bro,” the friend added.

Another friend, who expressed his anger over Ali’s death, wrote: “We wish we were there with you bro hoping it wouldn’t have ended this way. To the person or persons’s who took away our brother I hope you see this and know you took away our brother. I hope you see this and now you took away a gentle soul. I never wish bad on anyone but I pray that your loved ones die the same death to haunt you for the rest of your lives…Return if possible Trixie.”

Investigations are continuing.

The Future of the water taxi Trini Flash that stalled while on its way to Tobago last week after a fire broke out in the engine room has not yet determined. According to sources at the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco), the vessel’s future will be determined from the findings of the root cause analysis that is currently undergoing on the vessel. It is expected to take about one month to be completed. “So as for now we cannot say what caused the fire…it may not be sabotage but that’s what the root cause analysis will show and then we will be able to move forward as to the vessel’s future,” a Nidco source said.With respect to the status of the T&T Spirit port officials disclosed that there will be a media briefing on its status tomorrow (Thursday).

Up to late yesterday there was no further update on whether or not the T&T Spirit will resume operations on the domestic sea bridge.The Trini Flash vessel, which was used to operate the San Fernando to Port-of-Spain service, was chosen to service the inter-island service because both the T&T Express and the T&T Spirit are currently on dry-dock for repairs and maintenance. On February 11, 2017, the T&T Guardian reported that the Trini Flash was faulty and had to be replaced. It was disclosed that the vessel was back then experiencing prolonged sailing times.There had been numerous complaints from passengers travelling on-board the Trini Flash, which was at the time said to be operating with several mechanical problems. As a result, the time spent travelling between San Fernando to PoS had increased from 45 minutes to 90 minutes. Efforts to reach Nidco’s Chairman Herbert George proved futile as calls to his phone went unanswered.

People who are caught harming or ill-treating the leatherback turtle can face a hefty fine of $100,000 and jail for two years.

Recently a 39-second video surfaced on social media showing a leatherback turtle attempting to return to the sea after laying her eggs but was being hampered by several men who were seen pulling on its flippers and trying to drag it back to the shore. One of the men was then seen stepping onto the back of the turtle while attempting to place a child on it. Another person was seen climbing onto the turtle’s back.

As the turtle nesting season official opened on March 1, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) said the leatherback turtle is an environmentally sensitive species and strongly condemned the ill-treatment of the leatherback turtles.

The Authority made an appeal to citizens to refrain from harming turtles, and by extension all wildlife in general.

“It is especially disheartening that after concerted efforts by government and non-governmental entities to sensitise persons against sitting or riding on the carapace of leatherback turtles, this is still happening now,” the EMA said in a release.

The EMA is expected to conduct further investigations into this recent incident with a view to determining the relevant enforcement actions to be taken.

The EMA will also collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries on other possible actions to be taken as the leatherback turtle is protected under the Conservation of Wildlife Act.

Concerned persons and those who may have information to help the EMA in its investigations are asked to contact EMA’s Emergency Response Hotline at 680-9588.'

In the event of an environmental incident or for complaints, emails can be sent to complaints@ema.co.tt. or visit the EMA website at www.ema.co.tt.

Republic Bank Rio Claro’s branch won big at the bank’s annual service excellence awards which celebrated the achievements of staff during the 2017 fiscal year.

The branch also copped awards for service performance and employee engagement at the event held on March 24, at the Hyatt Regency hotel, in Port-of-Spain.

Retired branch sales manager, Jemma Persad, who accepted the awards on the branch’s behalf, said the win was an emotional one for her as it was her last. She also said the win will do a lot for staff, giving them the momentum and drive to keep working hard to achieve their goals.

The bank’s managing director, Nigel Baptiste, in delivering his opening remarks said that the Board of Directors and Executive Management Team were extremely grateful for the hard work and contributions that all staff put in, selflessly and wholeheartedly, day- in and day-out. He went onto to say that Republic Bank would not be the organisation it is without its staff whom he likened to heroes. Other winners were Specialist Unit of the Year—Legal Services, Top Performers in Personal Lendings—Auchenskeoch—Tobago, Top Performers in Commercial Lendings—Siparia and Top Overall Performing Team—Corporate Business Centre of the Year—South.

Overall Market activity resulted from trading in 14 securities of which 5 advanced, 3 declined and 6 traded firm.

Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 106,681 shares crossing the floor of the Exchange valued at $1,316,212.12. FirstCaribbean International Bank Ltd was the volume leader with 32,499 shares changing hands for a value of $308,740.50, followed by National Flour Mills Ltd with a volume of 28,571 shares being traded for $47,999.28. First Citizens Bank Ltd contributed 20,465 shares with a value of $665,281.00, while LJ Williams Ltd B added 10,000 shares valued at $7,000.

Trinidad & Tobago NGL Ltd registered the day’s largest gain, increasing $0.08 to end the day at $27.25. Conversely, ScotiaBank Trinidad & Tobago Ltd registered the day’s largest decline, falling $0.09 to close at $62.56.

Clico Investment Fund was the only active security on the Mutual Fund Market, posting a volume of 11,200 shares valued at $225,825.37. Clico Investment Fund remained at $20.16. Bourse Brazil Latin Fund remained at $8.40. Calypso Macro Index Fund remained at $20.48. Fortress Caribbean Property Fund Ltd SCC - Development Fund remained at $0.67. Fortress Caribbean Property Fund Ltd SCC—Value Fund'} remained at $1.70. Praetorian Property Mutual Fund remained at $3.05.

The Second Tier Market did not witness any activity. Mora Ven Holdings Ltd remained at $14.49.

To the very end a warrior, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, first on the frontlines of South Africa’s long and difficult struggle against apartheid, then in her later years to safeguard her reputation from being tainted by scandal. History will judge whether she was successful in the latter struggle.

However, there is no disputing the important role she played in the three-decade struggle to end her homeland’s repressive, racist system of governance.

Her marriage to Nelson Mandela, which ended in divorce after 38 years, lasted through the most difficult decades of the anti-apartheid fight, including his long imprisonment.

It is often forgotten that for Mrs Mandela, being married to the man who became the international symbol of resistance to apartheid, meant not only raising their family mostly on her own but also being jailed.

Therefore, it is not merely for being Nelson Mandela’s wife that she became known in South Africa as Mother of the Nation. Winnie Mandela fought courageously, spoke out defiantly and paid a heavy price in her personal life.

To judge her solely on the basis of the scandals that clouded her later years would be to overlook this woman warrior’s invaluable contribution to the struggle for freedom.

Funding policy must be made known

Even in times of plenty, state funding of cultural and religious events is a divisive, controversial issue. However, these lean times have added another complication to an already sensitive matter.

Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha secretary general Sat Maharaj has spoken out quite often about little or no funding from Government for major Hindu festivals. Now Spiritual Baptist leader Barbara Burke is also weighing in on the funding matter.

To a certain degree, some cultural events also generate the same type of complaints—Emancipation and Indian Arrival Day are the two events when funding expectations are seldom, if ever, met.=

Missing in all this is a clearly enunciated policy on funding of cultural and religious events. A policy might exist but it isn’t well known and the vacuum created results in speculation, complaints and even allegations of political discrimination.

A policy that is properly communicated will help manage expectations, encourage better long-term planning and yield more successful outcomes.

Our Carifta Games winners

Well done to all the young athletes who did us proud at the recent Carifta Games. The red, white and black was well represented at the event and this country’s future in track and field looks promising.

An e-commerce platform is a gateway to the global tea market for entrepreneur, Sophia Stone along with her partner Stacy Seeterram who both plan to deepen their footprint in Japan now that they have penetrated their domestic market.

Leaning mainly on contractual labour due to fluctuation in demand and supply, the two produce loose leaf organic healing teas by using local ingredients including herbs and flowers that are known to have medicinal qualities.

The company—Caribbean Cure—has been in existence for the last two years, but only started with teas about six months ago. Prior to getting into the tea business, the two were involved in manufacturing supplements.

Stone spoke about the business in a telephone interview with Business and Money, as she prepares to deepen her footprint locally and internationally.

Referring to the T&T market, she said there has been increased interest even though the packaging of the teas have not yet been finalised.

“My partner and I have been working with a graphic artiste to complete the final designs. We have also been working with restaurants and stores who have been reaching out to us.

“Currently we are in a few boutique shops, a few restaurants where you can have tea and purchase them retail. We haven’t gone wide-scale just yet. As soon as we get our packaging, we plan to expand to the larger supermarkets and pharmacies.”

Though Caribbean Cure produces on a small scale, there is a lot of demand domestically and internationally. Asked about the volume in T&T’s market, Stone said during the Christmas period, there was a steady boost as many people were contacting us to put them in hampers and baskets.

“Many customers wanted to buy them as gifts. They were actually quite a popular teacher’s gift. On average, it is about 200-300 units per month is made. You can taste and purchase them at More Vino in San Fernando.

“There are also a couple of the organic stores that have reached out to us and they will be selling our products shortly. In the next few weeks, we will be working with a distributor to get a visibility throughout T&T.”

The bigger opportunities are outside of T&T as the two are partnering with an overseas company to distribute its teas. Asked which company or entity the company is partnering with, she did not disclose, only saying that it was with a distributor.

Stone and Seeterram have also found an online platform to offer their teas.

“We offer our teas for sale on our website. They are available on “thingsTT” as well. People from all over the world kept sending us messages on our social media platform asking how they could purchase our teas. TTPost actually surprised us with some of the services they offer.”

Using the local courier company, Caribbean Cure can send teas for $25 to any part of T&T.

Asked to expand on their export initiative, Stone said many T&T companies steer towards the United States because of its proximity but her company has had a lot of interest in Japan because of the tea culture.
Why Japan?

Stone explained that heading to that country was 100 per cent personal mission and effort. She networked with several people during a trip to Japan, resulting in one person visiting her operations in T&T and striking a deal.

“In Japan, they are a very health-conscious. Many of the teas we offer are healthy and healing, for example our ginger tea. Right now we have our sights on Japan and that would be the first market that we hit.”
Caribbean Cure has potential in the diaspora.

“We are getting requests from people in New York, UK and even Australia. There are a lot of people who have an affinity toward ginger tea as well as moringa tea.”

The company is encourage that locally there is a lot more online e-commerce as people are looking for more convenience.

“Time is king and customers want to find easy ways to purchase what they want.”

Already, the teas offered internationally have gained two awards one—its chamomile blend and its cardamon blend.

Caribbean Cure received the award at the Global Tea Championships in the US.

“We are very proud of our two awards. We really create and craft our teas for the purpose of health in mind, our objective is make them very healthy, healing teas.”

Challenges

Stone admitted being an entrepreneur has its challenges.

“At present, the company is trying to work with the government ministries to supply teas, at the same time we are working on getting export documentation, exporTT, testing at Cariri as well as getting support from food and drug administration.”

Like most entrepreneurs, funding was not easy.

“We have been creative and we’ve been able to find people who believe in us. We have been using our own resources to get to this point.”

Of its presence on social media, Instagram has proven to be its most active with new users from around the world connecting to the page daily.

Energy consultant Helena Inniss has issued a warning to the government that it should learn from the failure of Trintomar before deciding to form a new company to produce small and stranded natural gas fields.

Inniss shared that view during the recent Spotlight on Energy when the Legal Affairs Minister Stewart Young revealed that the government had incorporated a company with the aim of partnering with upstream companies to produce small accumulation of natural gas.

Young said the logic was that there were small accumulations that the larger companies find uneconomic to produce and, as a result, the government would partner with smaller, nimble firms to produce the fields.

Inniss noted that the State owned the upstream assets and there are pools of gas which have already been discovered.

“I would recommend that the State associates NGC with an upstream company whose competence is proven, the company would not be given ownership of the gas but would be paid for its services and operatorship out of a share of production (risk service contract). The NGC can then take title to the gas and make itself fairly independent of the other upstream suppliers and, hopefully, make a place for itself along the entire value chain.

“Facilities and infrastructure have either been cost recovered or offset against taxes so the State has the right to ownership (the Petroleum Act allows for this), if not wholly at least partly, to a percentage necessary to claim capacity in all facilities in T&T waters. NGC can make use of this capacity,” Inniss said in an article written for the Geological Society of T&T.

Trintomar was formed in 1988 to operate the Pelican Field offshore, east coast T&T to offset a projected natural gas shortfall in 1990. The South East Coast consortium block in which the Pelican Field is located was state owned. Resources had already been found in the block so it was considered a low-risk venture so the Trintomar operation was state funded and operated. It proved to be a failure after a spectacular blow out.

Inniss wrote that in spite of the interventions over the years to make it competitive, the upstream gas sector in T&T remains uncompetitive. There are four upstream companies supplying gas, two to Atlantic LNG and the domestic market (bpTT and Shell) and two to the domestic market only (EOG and BHP).

She said in terms of growth prospects, bpTT—because of its dominant acreage position (it operates 904,000 acres (3,658 km2)—is the entity with the best growth prospects.

Inniss noted that because of its purchase of proven gas assets, Shell is also likely to grow as there are plans to revisit the Starfish development (which experienced drilling problems) and to complete other work in Block 5(d) and others.

EOG Resources has limited prospects and will not be able to compete with either bpTT or Shell unless the company gets new acreage and/or its joint venture arrangements to develop smaller accumulation in bpTT’s acreage continues.

“BHP currently has limited amounts of cheaper gas but has the potential to bring on deepwater gas. This will have its challenges unless oil is also found in abundant quantities. This, in effect, means that both bpTT and Shell will continue to have a dominant position in the T&T upstream and would likely be in a strong negotiating position vis-à-vis the State, unless the State can inject a different dimension into its upstream,” Inniss said.

Inniss is calling for competition laws to be enacted so that when companies, other than the incumbents, whose operations are successful, wish to sell their assets, laws exist which allow for an examination of the position/benefit which purchase of said company would grant the purchaser.

“Simply said, we need to discourage any monopolistic tendencies in the industry if the country is to benefit from its ownership of the resource,” Inniss wrote.

Recently, economist Gregory McGuire argued that the company would likely be a subsidiary of the National Gas Company. But economist Dr Ronald Ramkissoon warned that the government has to be extremely careful in risking taxpayers funds. He said the country has been down this road before and it has not been very successful.

“There are too many lessons around bad decision making in the energy sector and other state enterprises as well, to cause us to be extremely cautious about getting government involved in the energy sector or for that part several other sectors.

“We need much more details before one can really make that judgment, but the population must also understand what are the risks that the government will be taking because, at the end of the day, if the thing does not pan out as the government hopes, it must come back to the people and account for the loss of capital and that is not something that governments like to do,” Ramkissoon said.

He said the country needs an assessment of where we are and a vision of where the government wants to take the energy sector “and it must be commercially oriented decision. We have seen enough of state involvement that has only led to losses.”

But McGuire argued that past failures must not deter the government from moving forward saying that the solution was simple and that is to get it right this time.

He noted that the NGC has $48 billion in unleveraged assets and once the company is set up as a subsidiary it will be able to leverage the assets while, at the same time, isolating the NGC’s balance sheet so it does not necessarily impair the NGC’s regular business.

April is Financial Literacy month in the US. What occurs in the US often filters down to us in T&T so it is quite likely that the issue of financial literacy will be discussed here during this time. The obvious question that many will pose this month is: are you financially literate?

When we refer to financial literacy we often talk about a level of financial knowledge. This is because the drive for financial literacy usually comes from financial institutions and its regulators and the industry as a whole is geared towards your participation in the products and services that they offer.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with that approach. It is reasonable and even practical to want people to understand how a mortgage works and how a credit card works. It is also important that people understand concepts such as inflation and compound interest since these terms are not only common place but also affect our daily lives. Then there are, of course, other products such as mutual funds, exchange traded funds, bonds, stocks, annuities, life insurance, medical insurance and this list can go on and on.

Knowledge is important in the world of finance so the idea that financial literacy is linked to financial knowledge is quite reasonable. Most people find it difficult to keep up as products become more and more sophisticated and increasingly complex.

Another aspect of financial literacy that is often touted is the ability to utilise the products on offer. For example, the idea of opening a bank account may sound simple enough. However there are specific requirements in order to do so and these requirements are becoming increasingly complex as financial institutions have to deal with increased regulation.

Proof of identity, residence, address, income, source of funds are all requirements under law and these matters require regular updating. Some people are faced with issues related to international tax compliance, being politically exposed by virtue of association, working in a high risk job. If you have multiple relationships across various banking, insurance and investment entities then you have to go through this process and more with each entity, sometimes for each account.

Many see this as a hassle and some may have real difficulties coping. In the end this leads to individuals either being unserved or underserved as it relates to key financial products and services. It also in some way contributes to an informal economy (as distinct from illegal economy) where persons opt to exist outside of the established system.

I think we can be clear that the issue of financial literacy is important but very much underestimated. In the United States based on various surveys, they have concluded that as many as two thirds of Americans are financially illiterate. That means that they cannot calculate things like the interest on a loan or understand the financial product that they own. One would expect that in an emerging market such as T&T rates of financial literacy will be much lower.

The side bar offers up what is the standard test used by many to assess financial literacy. If you have not already done so take a few minutes to answer the three questions on this page.

The first question deals with your ability to do a basic calculation related to compounding of interest rates. The second question deals with an understanding of inflation and the third question assess your appreciation of financial risk. All of these issues are important and it is better to know that to not know.

A lack of knowledge means that you can be easily duped into a financial product that is not suitable for you. More than that, a lack of financial knowledge leaves you very susceptible to scams.

There are ponzi schemes and “get rich quick” offers all around. It all comes down to a basic rule. If you can’t understand the product then don’t purchase. If you lack the knowledge then you range of suitable products is limited.

Beyond knowledge

Financial literacy is important and represents a core starting point. Of even greater importance is financial capability. This speaks to our ability to make financial decisions. You can have all the knowledge of finance that may be considered necessary but if you can’t apply that knowledge then your financial capability is still limited.

Many would have studied physics in school and would have been taught the principles associated with momentum. However we still had to be reminded to wear a seatbelt despite having the knowledge to understand what would happen if we don’t.

Similarly, our knowledge of biology and chemistry allows us to understand what alcohol can do to our body, but that does not prevent you from deciding to drink and sometimes get drunk.

Your financial capability speaks to your ability to apply your financial knowledge within the context of your attitudes and your psychological traits. This is far more complex as it now includes a mix of your skills, attitude towards money, attitude towards life and your financial behaviour and how they interact with each other.

It may sound daunting but there is still more to contend with. To make proper financial decisions and so be considered financially capable you need to be financially literate as well as manage your internal dynamics but there is also another factor that sits outside of you.

This is financial transparency where information on product that is being offered to you is either withheld or made difficult to understand. In those circumstances, regardless of how much knowledge you have if the product itself lacks transparency then there is a problem.

The financial crisis of 2008 and our own experiences with CL Financial drive home this point. Many were investing in mortgages in the US but despite being financial professionals who had the knowledge didn’t fully understand the assumptions that went into some of the derivative products and how they would function under various conditions.

Similarly many who invested in an EFPA product from Clico did not understand how the product actually worked and so could not truly assess the risks.

As you can now appreciate financial literacy is just the tip of the iceberg. To manage your affairs requires a lot more. You also have to be able to understand and manage yourself as well as understand the nuances associated with the products and services that will serve as vehicles for your money.

The objective here is not to overwhelm you but rather to highlight the intricacies of finance. Many think that this is a “do it yourself” affair.

At a student “question and answer” famed investor Warren Buffet was asked: what surprises him the most?

He replied pointing to Bill Gates who was standing next to him:

“People look at Bill Gates and think they can’t do what he did. They look at me and think they can do what I did.”

The best investor knows that it’s not as easy as it looks.

Ian Narine

The National 4-H Council of T&T plans to lobby president Paula Mae-Weeks to make cocoa a national fruit. Natasha Lee, president of the national 4-H Council, and Leon Granger, CEO of the Cocoa Development Company of T&T Limited (CDCTTL) outlined reasons why this should happen. The duo spoke with T&T Guardian Media last Thursday when the CDCTTL hosted a training programme for the youths of the 4-H Council’s clubs at CDCTTL’s Chaguanas head offices.

Granger said the fine flavoured Trinitario variety of cocoa was born in T&T as an offspring of several local varieties that were brought to this country by the Amerindians from the Amazon and it was something that all nationals should be proud of. He added: “We have a national flower, we have national birds, but we don’t have a national fruit; and, it could bring about a certain level of patriotism for our cocoa.”

Granger said the CDCTTL wants more young people to get involved in all aspects of cocoa production especially in the generation of value added products that can earn substantial revenue. The CDCTTL has partnered with 4-H to train primary school students the art of handcrafting chocolate based beverage drinks and bars starting from fermented beans. Youths are also encouraged to ferment their own beans and look at creative ways of using the cocoa beans, pods and leaves.

Granger said the demand for labour by petro-chemical industries had taken away the labour required to make the cocoa industry viable. He suggested: “If we transform the industry into something where there is greater value added and we convert the raw beans to a product that would give more cash flow to the farmer then he can afford the wages that the labour is demanding.”

Granger said one kilogramme of cocoa beans sells at between $20 to $50 and that one kilo of beans, converted into chocolate, can earn $1,000. “What you are doing is adding value to the product,” said the CEO.

He said that value-added products include drinking chocolate, eating chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa rums, cocoa wines, cocoa vinegar and paper. Granger said the CDCTTL has a strategic plan for cocoa for the next five years that would see the increase of production to allow T&T to do value added products and trade overseas.

Granger added that a National Cocoa Awards competition would be held later this year as a pre-cursor Le Salon du Chocolat which is held in Paris, France every two years. He said all cocoa farmers would be invited to participate and the winners from the 16 cocoa-producing clusters would be selected to give 48 finalists. They would then be judged for the top five winners who would go to France in February 2019.

Granger said Tobago has won in the past and would be invited to participate again.

Granger said cocoa has a special place in his heart and brings back fond childhood memories which many can attest to. He said: “I grew up drinking cocoa tea. When I get that smell, the aroma of cocoa tea, hot chocolate as we would call it, reminds me of my childhood day. The sweet memories, as they flow through my brain, develop in me that sense of connection and patriosm and the importance of what farmers do to bring a cocoa bean to the table.

“It is something we have lost over the years. We have become an instant society.

We have instant cocoa, instant coffee, instant starch. If we have to bring back that love for cocoa among our people the best place is to start with children. Since our cocoa is world famous it’s a good way to start.”

Lee said the National 4-H Council plans to write the president on making the cocoa a national fruit. She said 4-H is also interested in having the president become a patron of the club. Lee said T&T has a proud history of cocoa production and T&T was at one time the third largest producer in the world of cocoa.

Lee added that T&T’s fine flavour cocoa allows for young and upcoming entrepreneurs to enter into a wide field of products that can earn foreign exchange.

She said apart from the chocolate market, there is a high demand in the cosmetic market for cocoa products.

Lee said 4-H members would have to come up with two dishes with the cocoa bean and create a beverage on the day of the competition along with other products derived from cocoa. She said the competition would be held on different dates for the various education districts.

In celebration of Alta’s 25th anniversary, Alta students around the country were asked to write about the impact the organisation has had on their lives. Since 1992, Alta has provided classes around the country for thousands of Trinidadians who struggle with reading and writing. Alta students enrol in the programme at many different levels of literacy and leave when they have accomplished their literacy goals. While it is difficult to manage work and family life alongside Alta classes, students continue to persevere and in all cases see changes in their lives after attending Alta classes. In the coming weeks, Alta will share their pieces through this column. This week, two students from the Woodbrook Secondary School venue share how Alta has impacted their lives.

Student Name: Laura

“I was reading an article in the newspapers about a young man who went to Alta and then moved on to university and then I decided to go because I always wanted to further my education. Since I started Alta, it has changed my life a lot because I was very shy. Through the course of time spent there, I became brave to speak and communicate with others. Alta also helped me to be more confident in myself - now I know what I would like to do in life. I might not be able to achieve all that I always wanted to do but I can still help someone with what I learnt at Alta.

Alta also taught me that there is no limitation. You can go as far as you wanted to go. Many of us don’t go forward because of our challenges in reading or writing. Now that I have the confidence in myself, I will move on to other things that I wanted to do.

I would encourage anyone who has a problem with reading or writing to come to Alta class. Don’t be ashamed to learn, be ashamed not to learn. It helps to build your confidence and overcome challenges.”

Student Name: Leonard

“Reading is one of my favourite hobbies and I enjoy reading books on a variety of subjects, novels, history, politics, scripture and religion. Through reading, I gathered a considerable amount of information that is useful in my daily life. I developed the ability to communicate verbally, but I also had the desire to convey my thoughts and opinions in writing. This was a challenge that caused me great discomfort because of my grammar. How do I confront this challenge? Alta of course! I responded to an advertisement in the daily newspaper and joined their classes. It is the best decision I have made in my adult life. Since I started Alta classes, I feel more comfortable to communicate in writing and also my reading ability has improved. Thanks to the dedicated tutors for helping me overcome my challenges.”

Volunteer, Donate or Sponsor-a-student. Call 621-5708 or email altapos.tt@gmail.com for more info. Keep up to date with ALTA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: ALTA

Love, compassion and understanding are the three main elements the Couva Police Youth Club (CPYC) throws into the mix in their drive to make T&T a better nation for tomorrow’s generation. Cpl Peter Cumberbatch, one of the leaders of the NGC-sponsored CPYC, shared some of the strategies the CPYC uses to deal with “challenged” children.

Sitting in a small room that houses the office of the Community Police at the Couva Police Station, Cpl Cumberbatch was very welcoming, He said when a child enters the CPYC they are treated equally and are not marked as troublemakers or bullies and many of them receive some level of mentorship from police officers.

Cumberbatch said the CPYC treats challenged children with the attention and love they deserve since many children come from homes where parental involvement in their lives are minimal.

He said the club is for children who excel but who face challenges in their lives. Cumberbatch said the club has 168 members who are well disciplined despite some having entered with challenges

He said when dealing with bullies all parties are called in to find out how best the CPYC can work with parents and the child to remedy and problems before it escalates. Said Cumberbatch: “Bullying comes in several ways, physical, emotional and psychological. We concentrate on the psychological aspect and we recognise sometimes that the bully is sometimes the victim.”

Cumberbatch added that children are also faced with the problem of using narcotics and getting associated with wrong company. He said this comes about because of the absence of proper parental supervision. He said a lack of parental supervision has contributed immensely to the rise of delinquent behavior among young people. He said some parents even go as far as refusing to take part in their children lives and the child feels a sense of neglect.

Cumberbatch said in some cases the child may associate with the wrong company and could possibly end up in a gang. To combat this the CPYC is reaching out to communities and having rapport with parents on their role and the consequences should they neglect their parental duties.

The CPYC was founded in 1989 by Acting ACP Central and North Patsy Joseph and is co-led by Cpl Ruben Commissiong.

The youths participate in a variety of cultural, academic and sporting activities that would occupy their time in a constructive manner.

On March 26, Serge Lavroff, Ambassador of France in partnership with Carla Rufeilds Hogan, High Commissioner for Canada, Amer Haidar, Honorary Consul for Lebanon, Paul Williams, Honorary Consul for Belgium, as well as Michelle Khan, Honorary Consul for Switzerland hosted a reception at the residence of the French Ambassador on the occasion of International Francophonie Day 2018.

International Francophonie Day (French: Journée internationale de la Francophonie) is observed within the International Organization of La Francophonie’s 77 member states every March 20 to celebrate the French language and Francophone culture.

Addressing guests at the event, the French Ambassador Serge Lavroff congratulated T&T for the presence of francophonie.

“It is there in the geography, in the many places that carry French names; La Fillette, Matelot, Blanchisseuse, Grande Rivière, Pointe à Pierre, names that we know so well. It is there also in the history and in the names of those who marked the history of this country, like Arthur Andrew Cipriani.

“And it is there also in the culture, as in the world-renowned Carnival, that magic word which appeared for the first time in French in the 16th century,” said the Ambassador.

Today, Francophonie in T&T, the French Ambassador said, is championed by the Alliance Française of Port-of-Spain. He took the opportunity to commend the tremendous work that it does here in serving the French language but also in serving the exchange of our cultures in the Caribbean region.

“I would also like to thank in this regard Toni Blackman, the President of the Board, Wendy Dyemma, the Director and the entire team which brings the Alliance to life with their enthusiasm and efficiency,” said Ambassador Serge Lavroff.

As ferry passengers continue to complain about long waiting times at the airports in travelling to and from Tobago, no dates have been given for the return of the T&T Express and the T&T Spirit to the seabridge.

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said the T&T Spirit was scheduled to undergo a sea trial yesterday and once all criteria was satisfied, certification should follow.

However, plans were still in the making for the T&T Express to be taken to the dry dock for repairs.

Meanwhile, the Water Taxi Service’s Trini Flash, which sustained a fire while transporting passengers to Tobago last week Tuesday, remains out of commission. Only the Cabo Star, which has a capacity of 90 seats, was available to ferry passengers.

In a Facebook post yesterday by Nafeesa Mohammed, a former advisor to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, she stated: “ This airbridge has really collapsed. Since midday yesterday, folks have been waiting to get on a flight to return to Trinidad. At midnight last night, they said no more stand byes, you have to come back and validate your ticket then put your name on the list again.

“Since 4.45 am, waiting in line to get into Caribbean Airlines office to renew the tickets. 70 people ahead of you and you haven’t reached to the counter to get your name on a list. Meanwhile, you can’t even hear or see a plane coming in. Who is really monitoring and helping to deal with this crisis? Why can’t arrangements be made to send a jet to clear the pile up once or twice during the day? This is not rocket science! This is a serious indictment on the management of the affairs of our country. I will be criticised for speaking out, but too many people suffering. It is totally unacceptable and inexcusable! Power is ephemeral and the writing is on the wall for all who have ears to hear and eyes to see. You cannot run a country on the basis of public relations ... This is madness!”

Calls were made to Mohammed’s phone yesterday but there was no answer. In responding to the issues, Caribbean Airlines (CAL) head of corporate communications Dionne Liguore said people have to understand the logistics involved in the airlines picking up the slack of the sea bridge. Ligoure said that given the small area they operate at the ANR Robinson International Airport, it would mean that the lines would seem long. CAL also has five employees operating at the airport.

She said in addition to their core schedule, additional flights were added to clear up any backlog and that at 11.51 am yesterday, there were no ferry passengers at the ANR Robinson International Airport.

Currently, the airport closes at 1.30 am and reopens at 5.45 am meaning the standby passengers, those who had not made a previous reservation, would not necessarily get on a flight before the airport closes.

“At this time, Caribbean Airlines continues to closely manage the airbridge. As the public is well aware, the airline has been supporting the operation of the sea bridge by increasing capacity to enable persons to travel between Trinidad and Tobago.

She said that between March 29 to April 2, the airline operated 283 flights on the air bridge, which provided 20,964 seats of which 16,583 were utilised.

“With respect to the issue of the long lines, by virtue of the space in which we are operating, by sheer logistics and the high volume of persons, there are lines because there is a process that has to be observed that is in place where customers must be issued with a valid travel document. The public may not be aware that airline tickets are auditable documents and the airline operates in a highly regulated industry.”

Contractor Emile Elias has lost his over three decade long legal battle with a property developer over a townhouse community in Westmoorings.

Delivering a 24-page judgment at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain yesterday morning, Appellate Judges Peter Jamadar, Gregory Smith and Andre Des Vignes dismissed Elias’ appeal over the decision of a High Court judge in 2013 to order him to pay Westmoorings Limited $1.2 million in compensation for delays in completing the project in the 1980s.

The lawsuit centered around 92 townhouses built for the developer between 1983 and 1985 at a cost of $11,568,812.

In the appeal, Elias was challenging the decision of Justice Devindra Rampersad to uphold a clause of the contract which required Elias’ company to pay the developer $1,000 per week for every townhouse not completed by the agreed delivery date.

Smith rejected Elias’ claim that the clause was exorbitant and unconscionable as he noted that the evidence suggested that it served a legitimate business interest and was agreed upon after negotiations between the parties.

“The clause was a genuine pre-estimate of loss and a matter of commercial expediency agreed to between the parties. I find no fault with this finding of the trial judge on the evidence before him,” Smith said. He noted that the contract also contained a clause awarding Elias a $500 bonus for each week that a townhouse was delivered in advance of its due date for completion.

Smith also rejected Elias’ claim that the clause was negated by the fact that the developer had granted him extensions to complete the project as he said that Elias’ contention was not supported by evidence.

“A fact to note is that in assessing the evidence, the trial judge felt compelled to stress and justify on at least three occasions, that he disbelieved the evidence of Elias on critical issues,” Smith said.

The legal dispute first arose in 1988, however, it took 25 years to be determined by the High Court as it did not fall under the Civil Proceedings Rules, which were introduced by the Judiciary in 2005 to increase the efficiency of disposition of cases.

“Without proper case management provisions, this bulky building contract dispute languished in the system until, to his credit, Justice Rampersad, took up the challenge posed and effectively managed and disposed of this case,” Smith said.

As part of the judgment, Elias was ordered to pay the developer’s legal costs for the appeal.

Elias was represented by Alvin Fitzpatrick, SC, while Christopher Hamel-Smith, SC, represented the developer.

A little over two months after prison officer Devendra Boodooram was murdered, a man from east Port-of-Spain was charged with the crime.

According to a post on the Police Service Twitter account posted yesterday afternoon, Andre “Famo” Lavia, also known as “Brandon Thomas” and “Wetman Andre” was charged with murdering Boodooram on January 26.

Lavia is expected to appear in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court this morning.

Boodooram, 50, was driving along Frederick Street in Port-of-Spain after finishing his shift at the Port-of-Spain State Prison, when he was ambushed by a gunman near to St Mary’s College.

The father of two was shot four times- once to the head, once to the next and twice in his chest. He died on the scene.

His attacker than ran up Frederick Street, across Oxford Street and then towards Chardord Courts in East Dry River.

Within days of the murder, homicide detectives released a sketch of Boodooram’s killer but Lavia was only arrested near his home at East Dry River, on Sunday afternoon.

Police sources said that he was pointed by an eyewitness to the shooting during an identification parade held on Wednesday afternoon.

He was charged by Sgt Sheldene Bacchus of the Region One Homicide Bureau after she received advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Boodooram’s murder came amid threats against prison officers over excessive force alleged used by prison officers during a routine search exercise in January. Police had claimed that Boodooram’s murder was a case of mistaken identity as he was not on duty on the day of the alleged abuse.