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Issue 187
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Diaspora sees link between youth unemployment
and food security
The Union of St. Lucia Overseas Associations has concluded
its 15th Biennial Convention in St. Lucia with a commitment
to promote and encourage youth entrepreneurship in
agriculture. The President of the USLOA Bertram Leon told
the Caribbean Business Report that the diaspora remains
seriously concerned about the island’s growing food import
bill, now believed to be over $300 million dollars annually.
The USLOA believes that one way of reducing that massive
food import bill is to promote youth in agriculture initiatives
and the diaspora was well placed to play a critical role in
networking with agencies in Europe and North America that
focus on youth agriculture.
Bertram Leon – President of the Union of
St. Lucia Overseas Association, receiving national award earlier this year from
the Governor General for service to the
diaspora
July 30, 2012
Call us at Caribbean Business Report (453-2418, 485-3363)
Mr. Leon says the focus should be on getting youth to see
the business opportunities that exist in local agriculture
as this could lead to reducing the continued rise in youth
unemployment. The diaspora remains concerned that St.
Lucians continue to consume vegetables, fruits and meats
imported into St. Lucia instead of the fresher and healthier
produce being grown locally. The Overseas St. Lucia Associations say they are concerned about the island’s
food security and want to be involved by getting their members who are professionally trained in agriculture
and who can network throughout the diaspora to play their part in reducing the island’s food import bill.
The diaspora also wants to invest in the tourism sector and has called on authorities to facilitate and not
frustrate those who want to commit their expertise and financial resources to tourism development in
St. Lucia.
www.bankofsaintlucia.com
A SUBSIDIARY OF
➤➤ Diaspora sees link between youth
unemployment and food security
➤➤ Overseas St. Lucians want
streamlined export agencies
➤➤ ECFH launches its FACEBOOK
experience
➤➤ Audi’s Ride and Drive for media and
prospective customers
➤➤ Duboulay’s Bottling celebrates
30 years as sponsor of tennis
tournament
➤➤ VAT Team says importers can apply
for free storage facility
➤➤ VAT training for Small Business
Sector
➤➤ VAT teams goes to Choiseul from
Tuesday
➤➤ Super J IGA showers gifts on
Carnival Queen Janelle Desir
➤➤ Heineken summer begins August 1st
with a Treasure Hunt
➤➤ Mind Your Business “Pricing &
Costing” course completed
➤➤ Barbados bans all poultry imports
from Mexico
Overseas St. Lucians want streamlined export agencies
The St. Lucian diaspora says it fully supports the call for overseas nationals to help promote exports throughout
the world. The Union of St. Lucia Overseas Associations says it can help find outlets, supermarkets and trade
fairs to promote St. Lucian goods and services overseas.
However the President of USLOA Bertram Leon believes efforts can be more efficient if export agencies in St.
Lucia combine their efforts to work as one export body. Mr. Leon notes that currently there are a number of
agencies all committed to boosting exports but is worried that there may be duplication of efforts.
The 15th Biennial Convention of the USLOA which took place in St. Lucia also discussed issues relating to
the Ease of Doing Business in St. Lucia and called for recommendations to be implemented especially those
relating to overseas nationals desirous of investment in the homeland.
➤➤ Harris Paints receive more awards
»»Headlines
From l
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now u gust
Au
31st 12
20
Customer Appreciation
Thank you for shopping at gl foodmarket. In addition to earning points every time you shop, use your gl foodmarket loyalty card
to get discounts from our corporate partners. See press and in store for details. Offer valid until August 31st, 2012
Check out our website www.glfoodmarket.com for regular updates of our monthly specials, recipes and other promotional activities.
*You must present your gl foodmarket loyalty card to receive the discounts. Discounts are applicable on cash purchases only and excludes price controlled items and items already discounted. Offer valid until August 31st, 2012.
ECFH launches its FACEBOOK experience
Duboulay’s Bottling celebrates
30 years as sponsor of tennis
tournament
The East Caribbean Financial Holding Group has officially
launched its Facebook page as it continues to use multiple
platforms in making it easier for customers to learn about
the many products and services being offered by the
financial institution.
Leslie Collymore launching the
ECFH Facebook page
The ECFH web experience was launched on Friday at
Bay Gardens Beach Resort with the Assistant Manager
for Group Marketing Leslie Collymore noting this new web
experience was in keeping with the organisations desire to
offer its customers yet another online outlet to experience
the range of services offered by the ECFH group.
The Facebook page is themed “The Power is Yours - www.ecfh.com Puts Your Financial World at Your
Fingertips”.
Audi’s Ride and Drive for media and prospective customers
Audi, which has been in St. Lucia for the past three years,
has announced plans to launch a world class showroom in
December this year. Gordon Charles, the Chief Executive
Officer of the J. Q. Charles Group which is the designated
Audi Dealer for St. Lucia says construction is advanced on
a modern showroom which could become the centre for an
OECS Audi Dealership.
Members of the media, customers and prospective
customers were taken on an Audi Ride and Drive on
Saturday to introduce its latest models the A1, Q3 and the
redesigned A6. The objective was to allow the specially
invited media personnel and prospective customers to
experience the innovation and the difference that Audi
brings to the market in St. Lucia.
Gordon Charles- CEO J.Q. Charles
Group of Companies
Audi also plans its grand launch for later this year hoping
that its soon to be completed modern showroom will act as
a regional centre for the wider OECS region.
Dunstan Duboulay [r] Managing Director of
Duboulay’s Bottling
The 30th Coca Cola ITF Junior Tournament
in St. Lucia has been launched here with
Duboulay’s Bottling Company being toasted
for its long association with the tournament.
Duboulay’s Bottling got involved from inception
and continues to support the tournament
which seeks to discover the future of tennis
in St. Lucia, the Eastern Caribbean and the
World.
President of the St. Lucia Tennis Association
Stephen McNamara has commended the
commitment of Duboulay’s Bottling, noting
its unbroken association with the junior
tournament for 30 years.
Dustan Duboulay, the Managing Director says
his organisation has supported the tournament
all those years because of a commitment to
developing young tennis players in St. Lucia
and the Eastern Caribbean.
The tournament has started and will culminate
on August 11th at the St. Lucia National Centre
at Beausejour.
VAT Team says importers can apply for free
storage facility
The VAT Implementation Project Office has announced that the process has been finalized for
Importers wishing to utilize the three months free storage at the sea ports. The Facility is available only
to businesses who meet the threshold for Value Added Tax ($180,000 taxable sales).
To qualify importers must apply using the prescribed form “Application For Free Storage Certificate”
which must be completed in quadruplicate, for submission to the VAT Implementation Project Office at
the Mongroo Building on upper Bridge Street (upstairs Western Union).
The eligibility of the importer will be verified by the VAT Office and once satisfied the document will be
signed, dated and officially stamped. In ascertaining the eligibility, the VAT Office may require proof of
the sales turnover of the applicant.
According to the Project Coordinator, Adria Sonson “The application process need only be completed
once and can be used for multiple shipments of a commercial nature”.
The certificate will entitle the importer to store imported goods rent free (with certain conditions) at Port
Castries or Port Vieux Fort during the period July 1 – September 30, 2012.
Further clarity on the regime can be sought from the VAT Implementation Project Office, The Customs
& Excise Department and the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority. Forms can be downloaded from
VAT teams goes to
Choiseul from Tuesday
The VAT train will make a stopover in Choiseul
on Tuesday this week with a meeting at the
Human Resource Development Centre from
5:30pm. Also on that day a VAT team will be
at the Piaye Secondary School from 5:30pm.
On Thursday August 2nd the VAT train will
stop off at the La Maze Human Resource
Development Centre to answer all questions
on the Value Added Tax.
On Tuesday August 7th the VAT will be at the
Dacretin Mothers Hall and on the same day
also at the Mongouge Primary School, both
start at 5:30pm.
the website of these agencies.
On Thursday August 9th the VAT team will
meet with residents of Delcer at the Primary
School there from 5:30pm.
VAT training for Small Business Sector
The VAT Preparedness Training for the Small Business Sector organized by the Ministry of Commerce,
Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs starts this Monday July 30th, 2012. The first
group of participants (comprising business owners and/or their representatives) will complete their five
(5) hours of training on Tuesday July 31st, 2012. Due to the holiday on Wednesday August 1, 2012, the
second group will be trained on August 6th and 7th, 2012.
If you have missed the nightly CTV News
LOCATION
Gros Islet
Castries
TRAINING
VENUE
Gros Islet Secondary School
National ICT Centre
(Next to Central Library)
MONDAY
& TUESDAY
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
9:00 am – 11:30 am
Castries
1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
GAMA Learning Institute
(L’Anse Rd.)
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Clendon Mason Secondary
School
Dennery
YouTube page www.youtube.com/calabashtv
for reports and special features. The Calabash
TV website is under construction but this copy
of the Caribbean Business Report can be
National ICT Centre
(Next to Central Library)
Castries
which airs at 8:00, then visit the Calabash TV
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
accessed at www.calabashtvstlucia.com
SERVICES
J.E.B Bldg, Vide Bouteille, P.O. Box 102, Castries, Saint Lucia
Tel: (758) 456-6500, Fax: (758) 456-6508
Email: [email protected] * Website: www.jebergasse.com
SERVICES
* Sale and Services of:
s$IGITAL$UPLICATORS
s/FFICE%QUIPMENT
s0RODUCTION7IDE&ORMAT%QUIPMENT
* Technical Service and Maintenance
Super J IGA showers gifts on Carnival Queen
Janelle Desir
St. Lucia’s Carnival Queen Janelle Desir has
been celebrated by her sponsor Super J IGA
supermarkets and showered with gifts to help
meet her personal, educational and community
goals.
* Sale of:
s%QUIPMENT3UPPLIES
s/FFICE&URNITURE
s3OFTWARE3OLUTIONS
s3TATIONERY/FFICE3UPPLIES
Mind Your Business
“Pricing & Costing”
course completed
The management team of the supermarket
chain spared a few moments prior to the start of
their weekly management meeting to welcome
and acknowledge the achievements of Carnival
Queen Janelle Desir. This meet and greet was
organized for the company’s Divisional Heads
to congratulate and interact with her.
Carnival Queen Janelle Desir receiving prizes
from Super J IGA Deputy General Manager
Martin Dorville
The company demonstrated its appreciation
for the achievement of Miss Super J IGA by
presenting gifts specifically chosen to advance
her educational and personal commitment
to her dream of working with young single
mothers.
Janelle Desir will receive $400 grocery voucher monthly for the next twelve months and a cheque of
$1000 worth of school supplies to facilitate her studies at Monroe College. The sponsor also pledged
$4,200 to help Janelle realise a dream of working with young single mothers.
In response the Carnival Queen acknowledged the work of Super J IGA with various youth organizations,
schools and communities and expressed gratitude for the privilege of representing Super J IGA.
Heineken summer begins August 1st with a
Treasure Hunt
A motor treasure hunt under the theme “Heineken – H marks
the spot” will take place on Wednesday marking the start of the
Heineken Summer.
The treasure hunt is not a race to the finish, but points will be
awarded to teams of four for collecting clues around the island at
“H-marks the spot” venues. These areas will include the venues
where Heineken Green Synergy will be held this year.
The Heineken Green Synergy rolls into action next week. Over
the last eight years, summertime in Saint Lucia has been
synonymous with Heineken, and the success of the ever popular
Heineken Green Synergy.
Gaius Harry – Heineken Brand
Manager
Heineken Green Synergy is a DJ competition open to residence
of Saint Lucia 18 and over, both male and female.
This year, Heineken Green Synergy will be dishing out a total
of EC$20,000 in cash and prizes with prizes also going to the second and third place winners of the
event.
The public launch of Heineken Green Synergy is on August 5, with competitions on August 12, August
17 and August 26. The grand finals of Heineken Green Synergy will be September 2, 2012.
Participant receiving award from Benjamin
Menald
Thirteen (13) participants have completed
the first program in the Mind Your Business
Development Series organised by the St.
Lucia Chamber of Commerce. The pricing
and costing program was facilitated by Mr.
Benjamin Menald a qualified Accountant
with many years of experience in the private
sector.
Participants were pleased to receive their
certificates and lauded the St. Lucia Chamber
of Commerce Industry of Commerce for
affording them this experience through the
Mind Your Business Development Series.
The Mind Your Business Microsoft Excel
Intermediate to Advance 2007/2010 has
commenced. Registration date will be
announced shortly for the upcoming Critical
Customs Knowledge program.
Please contact the St. Lucia Chamber of
Commerce Industry and Agriculture for
further information at 452-3165 or email
[email protected]
Caribbean Awards extends closing date for entries
The organisers of the Caribbean Business
Awards have announced that although the
closing date for entry into the 2012 Caribbean
Business Awards has been pushed back to 19th
August.
The Awards are open to business indigenous
to Caribbean businesses or organisation’s with
business interests within the region. Last year’s
winners included well known organisations such as Angostura Ltd and Trinidad & Tobago Unit Trust
Company, CIE from St. Lucia and the 2012 Awards will prove to be even more exciting.
Calabash TV
…..It’s all about us!
The media landscape in St. Lucia is changing and Calabash is:
TV with Heart and Soul
The pulse of our nation
We understand Business
We celebrate Youth and Creativity
We highlight Community and
appreciate natural Beauty
It’s TV with a Difference
Calabash is US
The categories are SMALL TO MEDIUM BUSINESS OF THE YEAR, LARGE BUSINESS OF THE
YEAR, CUSTOMER EXCELLENCE AWARD – SMALL TO MEDIUM, CUSTOMER EXCELLENCE
AWARD – LARGE and CONTACT CENTRE OF THE YEAR.
Experience it!
Awards will also be handed out for EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD, EXCELLENCE IN TOURISM
& HOSPITALITY, CARIBBEAN ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR, AWARD FOR INNOVATION and for
MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE.
Channel 44 on LIME
Channel 54 on Karib Cable
Full details of the Caribbean’s most exciting Awards can be found at www.caribbeanbusinessawards.com
Barbados bans all poultry imports from Mexico
Leaders in documentary production
ALL Biz Limited
ALL Biz Limited
….creative media solutions.
....Creative Media Solutions
The importation of live birds, poultry and poultry products into Barbados from Mexico has been banned
with immediate effect.
This action has been taken by the Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Agriculture following
a major outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H7N3, commonly referred to as bird flu, in
the Western state of Jalisco, Mexico.
Senior veterinary officer with the department, Dr Mark Trotman, has also advised that until the full
extent of the outbreak becomes known, Barbados’ Veterinary Services will consider the entire country
of Mexico affected with HPAI.
In addition, border control officials, including Veterinary and Plant Quarantine, Port Health and Customs,
will be notified to exercise vigilance on shipments of products originating from Mexico.
Harris Paints receive more awards
Harris Paints’ most recent award winning performance in the Barbados National Initiative for Service Excellence
(NISE) awards has emphasized the company’s status as a regional leader in customer service excellence and
commitment.
“The Caribbean Champions of Colour” earned four of the five top prizes for Customer Service including the Prime
Minister’s Award, to be the toast of the evening at the recent NISE Gala awards event held at the Hilton Barbados.
The Company won in Efficiency Improvement; Personal Development; Environmental Responsibility; and topped
these off with the Prime Minister’s award, the highest available honour.
Send an email to:
[email protected]
to receive your
copy today!
Call us at Caribbean
Business Report
(453-2418, 485-3363)
This major achievement in the inaugural improvement awards clearly demonstrates recognition of the Company’s
commitment to providing excellent customer service while engaging employees in a customer focused strategy that
is positively impacting customer loyalty and positive brand recognition across the region, the Company stated.
Notably, the outstanding performance in the NISE Barbados Awards came in the wake of another standout
performance in March of this year by Harris Paints (St. Lucia) Limited, which won a total of five quality awards
in the coveted categories of Diamond and Platinum at the inaugural St. Lucia Manufacturers Association Awards
(SMAs).
CTV NEWS